Primal Scream might reasonably be referred to as elder statesmen of rock‘n’roll these days, and 30 years or so since first getting together, it would be fair so say that they’ve tried a few different music genres on for size. There's been gentle Byrds-like melodies, MC5 rock action, blissed-out dance music, Rolling Stones swagger, and monstrously heavy motorik jackhammers. The latest incarnation of the Scream, however, seem to have decided to take on the electro-goth mantle from Depeche Mode for a guitar-lite bunch of tunes that's unlikely to be viewed as a classic release anytime soon.
Occasionally, the new sounds also bring a dash of early Kasabian to the party, and the stadium disco of “Where the light gets in” is entertaining enough. However, it's the few tunes which stray from the new Scream template and dip into past glories that grab attention. “When the blackout meets the fallout” is meaty electro-punk with echoes of their 1999 XTRMNTR sound, while “Golden rope” lays down a psychedelic groove that harks back to Primal Scream’s trippy late ‘80s. Much of the rest on show here is just a bit lightweight though. In fact, album opener “Trippin’ on your love” starts out trying to recapture the sunny baggy groove of their purple period, but ends up sounding like a superior All Saints tune.
While Primal Scream’s career may have been, somewhat against the odds, a long one, quality control issues are nothing new. Despite era defining albums like Screamadelica, Vanishing Point and to some extent Give Out But Don’t Give Up, there have also been less successful efforts like Beautiful Future and Riot City Blues. It just has to be hoped that Chaosmosis is a minor tour down an artistic cul-de-sac, and that they’ll be back with something more akin to their previous highs before long.
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