Primal Scream
found themselves in danger of losing their hip audience in the wake of their misconceived trad-rock record,
Give Out But Don't Give Up
. As a reaction, they returned to the genre-bending, electronic dance-rock of the seminal
Screamadelica
for
Give Out
's follow-up,
Vanishing Point
. Instead of recycling the dazzlingly bright neo-psychedelia of
,
reaches deep into cavernous dub and '60s pop.
is a dark, trippy album, filled with mind-bending rhythms and cinematic flourishes. The addition of former
Stone Roses
bassist
Mani
to the
Scream
gives their music an organically funky foundation that had been lacking. Over those rhythms are samples, reverbed guitars, and synthesizers that echo spy movies, Southern soul, and
the Stones
. Above anything else,
is about sound and groove. Words remain a weak point for
Bobby Gillespie
, who only manages cohesive lyrics on the swirling
"Burning Wheel"
and
"Star,"
but that is a secondary concern, since
is at its best when working the rhythms. Songs like
"Kowalski"
and, in particular, the extended instrumentals of
"Get Duffy"
"Trainspotting"
illustrate that the group is still capable of creating exotic, thoroughly entrancing sounds, which is what makes
a remarkable comeback. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine