Moloko | |
|---|---|
 Moloko in 2003:Mark Brydon andRóisín Murphy | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Sheffield, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1994–2004[1] |
| Labels | The Echo Label,Warner Bros. |
| Past members | Róisín Murphy Mark Brydon |
Moloko (/məˈloʊkoʊ/) were an English-Irishelectronic music duo formed inSheffield, England, consisting of vocalistRóisín Murphy andproducerMark Brydon. Blending elements ofelectronica anddance music, they are best known for their UK top 10 singles "The Time Is Now" (2000) and "Familiar Feeling" (2003), as well as the 1999Boris Dlugoschremix of "Sing It Back" which became an international hit.
Murphy had no prior professional singing experience when Moloko was formed,[1] while Brydon had previously worked on music as a producer with musicians such asBoy George andCabaret Voltaire on releases from the1990s.[2] In 1994, the two met at a party inSheffield, where Murphy approached Brydon with thechat-up line, "Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body!"[1] Its first sentence became their debut album's title, recorded while the pair had begun dating.[1] The name Moloko comes from thenarcotic-filled milk drink, Moloko Plus, in theAnthony Burgess novelA Clockwork Orange,[3] based on theRussian word for milk, "молоко" ("moloko").
The group signed toEcho Records and released their single "Where Is the What If the What Is in Why?"[1] The group's debut albumDo You Like My Tight Sweater? was released in 1995.[1] The group toured withPulp following the release.[1] The single "Fun for Me" was featured prominently on theBatman & Robinsoundtrack and received radio airplay and strongMTV rotation.[4] It reached number four in theUS Dance chart. In 1997, their cover of "Are 'Friends' Electric?" featured on theGary Numan tribute albumRandom.
After Moloko finished the tour, they built a home studio and recorded their second album, titledI Am Not a Doctor, which was released in 1998 in the United Kingdom.[1] Though the album was unsuccessful, reaching only number 64 in theUK Albums Chart, aBoris Dlugosch remix of "Sing It Back", the third single from the album that originally failed to reach the Top 40 in theUK Singles Chart, was a huge hit, reaching number four in the UK chart and number one in the US Dance Chart. Moloko toured in support of the album, opening forGarbage in UK and Ireland in January and February 1999.[5]
Their third albumThings to Make and Do was released in the year 2000[6] and reached number three in the UK Albums Chart. The first single, "The Time Is Now" was their biggest hit, charting at number two in the charts. They started touring as a full band along with percussionist Paul Slowly, keyboardistEddie Stevens, and guitarist Dave Cooke.[7]
Their 2003 albumStatues produced two hit singles, "Familiar Feeling", which reached number ten in the UK, and "Forever More", which reached number 17. Brydon and Murphy ended their romantic relationship in 2002, just before they began work on the album.[8] Murphy toured without Brydon for eighteen months in support of the album throughout 2003 and 2004.[8] The concert at theBrixton Academy, recorded on 22 November 2003, was released on the live DVD11,000 Clicks in 2004. Following the tour, the group disbanded.[1]
Following the disbandment, both Murphy and Brydon began solo careers, with the former releasing her first solo album,Ruby Blue, in 2005.
On 22 May 2006, the band announced theirgreatest hits albumCatalogue, including the unreleased track "Bankrupt Emotionally", released on 17 July.[9][8][10] The same year, Murphy and Brydon, along with long-time Moloko guitarist Cooke, briefly interrupted their hiatus to play a select number of acoustic radio performances.[5][11][12]
In 2016, Moloko digitally reissued their remixes on the compilationAll Back To the Mine, split into two volumes and comprising a total of 68 tracks.[13][14]
In 2019, the four Moloko albums were remastered and reissued on vinyl.[15][16]
Since the band's disbandment, Murphy has performed several Moloko songs on her solo tours and live performances.[15] However, she has stated in several interviews that she has no intention of reuniting with Brydon.[8][17][18][15][16]
Moloko's music has been described asalternative dance,[1]dance-pop,[1]experimental pop,[19]dance-punk[20] andelectropop.[21] Heather Phares ofAllMusic described the sound of their debut album similar to that ofPortishead andMassive Attack with elements ofdance,funk, andtrip hop, while noting the group had "a sense of humour and sass unique to Moloko."[1]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [22] | AUS [23] | AUT [24] | BEL (Fl) [25] | FIN [26] | FRA [27] | GER [28] | IRE [29] | NLD [30] | SWI [31] | |||
| Do You Like My Tight Sweater? | 92 | 179 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| I Am Not a Doctor |
| 64 | 137 | 30 | — | — | — | 91 | — | — | 45 | |
| Things to Make and Do |
| 3 | 38 | 21 | 6 | 26 | — | 14 | 10 | 66 | 25 |
|
| Statues |
| 18 | 34 | 19 | 1 | 12 | 135 | 12 | 59 | 28 | 26 | |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [22] | AUS [23] | BEL (Fl) [25] | GER [28] | IRE [29] | NLD [30] | ||||
| All Back to the Mine |
| 149 | 144 | 47 | — | — | — | ||
| Catalogue |
| 82 | 142 | 7 | 98 | 70 | 65 | ||
| All Back to the Mine: Vol. I |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| All Back to the Mine: Vol. II |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
All Back to the Mine (2001) is a collection of 21 remixes (23 in Japan).Vol. I andVol. II (2016) each contain 34 remixes, for a total of 68. Not all of the remixes on the 2001 version are included on the 2016 versions.[34]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [22] | AUS [23] | AUT [24] | BEL [25] | FRA [27] | GER [28] | IRE [29] | NLD [30] | SWI [31] | US Dance [35] | ||||
| "Where Is the What If the What Is in Why?" | 1995 | — | 189 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Do You Like My Tight Sweater? | |
| "Fun for Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Dominoid" | 1996 | 65 | 148 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Fun for Me"(re-release) | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | ||||
| "Day for Night" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 37 | |||
| "The Flipside" | 1998 | 53 | 107 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | I Am Not a Doctor | |
| "Sing It Back" | 1999 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Sing It Back"(Remix) | 4 | 20 | — | 26 | 35 | 47 | 12 | 24 | 18 | 1 |
| Things to Make and Do | |
| "The Time Is Now" | 2000 | 2 | 36 | — | 15 | — | 49 | 10 | 46 | 41 | — |
| |
| "Pure Pleasure Seeker" | 21 | 119 | — | —[A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Indigo" | 51 | — | — | —[B] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Familiar Feeling" | 2003 | 10 | 46 | 59 | 29 | — | 72 | 26 | 100 | 84 | — | Statues | |
| "Forever More" | 17 | — | — | 26 | — | 96 | — | 77 | — | — | |||
| "Cannot Contain This" | 97 | — | — | —[C] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| Year | Video details |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 11,000 Clicks |
"Best International Live Act" - BelgianTMF Awards 2004
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
