| Handcream for a Generation | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 April 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 2000–2001 | |||
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| Genre | Punjabi rock,electro-funk | |||
| Length | 60:52 | |||
| Label | Wiiija | |||
| Producer | Tjinder Singh,Rob Swift | |||
| Cornershop chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Handcream for a Generation | ||||
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Handcream for a Generation is the fourth studio album to be recorded by the Britishrock bandCornershop. It was released on 1 April 2002 byWiiija. Following the release of their third studio albumWhen I Was Born for the 7th Time (1997), the band abstained from touring for the majority of 1998. During their hiatus, frontman Tjinder Singh and guitarist Ben Ayres worked asdisc jockeys (DJs), formed the side project Clinton and released an album under that moniker while Singh was suffering from fatigue. Between mid-2000 and June 2001, Cornershop recorded their next album at West Orange Studios inPreston, Lancashire, and Eastcote Studios inLadbroke Grove, London. Singh produced the album andRob Swift co-produced two of the songs.
Handcream for a Generation recounts thePunjabi rock ofWhen I Was Born for the 7th Time and theelectro-funk of Clinton's sole album. One critic considered it aconcept album about Singh's dismissal with the way modern music is consumed. Throughout it, the guitar tone recalls the sound ofOasis memberNoel Gallagher; the music overall includes Punjabi instrumentation such as sitar and tabla. The individual songs on the album vary in genre from thesoul-funk of opener and closer "Heavy Soup" and theDaft Punk-apingdisco house of "Music Plus 1" to thepsychedelic number "Spectral Mornings" and thedance sound of "Slip the Drummer One".
Music critics, many of whom commented on the array of musical styles, gaveHandcream for a Generation generally favourable reviews. The album reached number 30 on theUK Albums Chart, while "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" peaked at number 37 and "Staging" peaked at number 80 on theUK Singles Chart. In March 2002, "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" was released as the album'slead single, after which Cornershop toured the United Kingdom and the United States until May that year. After Cornershop appeared at the festivalsFleadh Nua andSummer Sundae, and supportedOasis at a one-off show, "Staging the Plaguing of the Raised Platform" was released as the album's second single under the title "Staging" in August 2002. To promote the single, Cornershop performed at theReading and Leeds Festivals but by October 2002, their record label had released the band from their contract.
Cornershop released their third studio albumWhen I Was Born for the 7th Time in September 1997.[1] Itslead single "Brimful of Asha" (1997) became a commercial success after it was remixed byFatboy Slim, reaching number one in several territories. This led to a supporting slot forOasis on their headlining US tour.[2] In 1998, Cornershop took a break from touring for most of the year, though in July they appeared at some European festivals.[3][4][5] Also in 1998, they released remixes of "Good Shit" and "Candyman" as vinyl-onlysingles. During the band's hiatus, frontman Tjinder Singh and guitarist Ben Ayres worked asDJs for some venues and radio stations.[3]
Singh and Ayres spent some time working on theirfunk side-project Clinton,[6] and started their own record label Meccio Records, on which they released music by artists they liked.[7] Clinton released their debut studio albumDisco and the Halfway to Discontent in January 2000.[6] Singh said he was suffering from fatigue and was dealing with personal issues. Around this time, Cornershop left their American labelLuaka Bop, which had switched distribution fromWarner Bros. Records toVirgin Records.[8] Singh said the label was going through a restructuring process, which he did not want to deal with.[9] In June 2000, Cornershop were rehearsing guitar-led material for the next album, and had finished four songs by this point.[7][10]
Handcream for a Generation was recorded at West Orange Studios inPreston, Lancashire, and Eastcote Studios inLadbroke Grove, London, between mid-2000 and June 2001, with Singh as producer.[11][12] The band would alternate between these studios, spending a few days at each. They would play the songs while driving on the motorway, which helped them come up with new ideas.[7]Rob Swift ofthe X-Ecutioners co-produced and mixed "Wogs Will Walk" and "Slip the Drummer One"; Singh said Swift was "very simplistic, no messing about, just getting to a groove".[11][13] Singh wanted songs that worked well in a live setting, which meant recording a bass guitar for the first time. Partway through the sessions, Singh's father died and Singh's wife gave birth to their first child.[13] Alan Gregson and Philip Bagenal served as executive engineers; and Mike Marsh mastered the album at The Exchange.[11]
Handcream for a Generation returns to thePunjabi rock ofWhen I Was Born for the 7th Time and theelectro-funk of Clinton's sole album.[14] Singh said he came up with the album's title two years earlier and used it as a lyric in two of the songs.[12] Matt Cibula ofPopMatters referred to it as aconcept album that was "made to express Singh's disapproval of the way modern music is handled".[15]AllMusic reviewerStephen Thomas Erlewine said throughout the album, Singh borrows the guitar sound of Oasis memberNoel Gallagher "and winds up with a record that is hipper, looser, and funkier than [Oasis']Be Here Now, but weirdly reminiscent of it all the same".[16]Los Angeles Times' Natalie Nichols noted Cornershop had "always fused disparate elements", this time expanding on the sound of their last album with "such Punjabi staples as sitar and tabla, along with squiggly electronica, vampy glam-rock, funk riffs, dub reggae, soul grooves and more".[17]
The album opens with thesoul-funk of "Heavy Soup",[18] on whichOtis Clay is theMC,[19] backed byMemphis-styled horns.[14]Julian Argüelles playedbass clarinet, Ian Hooper played keyboards andMick Greenwood played trumpet.[11] "Staging the Plaguing of the Raised Platform", which features a children's choir,[20] and strings and bass played by West Orange Studios owner Alan Gregson,[11] comes across as a remake of "Brimful of Asha".[21] "Music Plus 1" copies thedisco house sound ofDaft Punk,[20] and blendsdance beats,techno, electro-funk andjangly guitar work.[17] For "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III", Singh compared learning lessons from theRocky film series to learning about the music industry. The lyrics include comments on thenu metal trend and the state of the music industry, which Singh said was "saddening to see what has happened to it – for it to be more manufactured, to see more managers running it, to see less artistry".[12] The song featuresPaul McGuigan of Oasis on bass,[11] and its rhythm is reminiscent of "Rocks" (1994) byPrimal Scream.[22]
"Wogs Will Walk" evokes Cornershop's early songs, especially the material on their earlyExtended Plays (EPs), with itsgarage-soul organ, electronic sounds and chanted vocals that are fed through aboombox; it drew comparisons toThere's a Riot Goin' On (1971) bySly Stone.[23]Scratching from Swift interrupts a repeating, two-note organ pattern that is heard throughout.[24] "Motion the 11" is aroots reggae song,[20] with elements of Punjabi music[19] that is accompanied by Greenwood onflugelhorn, Gregson on bass and Doreen Edwards on vocals.[11] It opens withRastafarin chanting[25] from London-based reggaetoasters Jack Wilson and Kojak of the Nazralites.[11] "People Power" is cover of the Clinton song of the same name, set toOrange Juice-esque music.[22] "Sounds Super Recordings" is a faux-radio advertisement detailing the death of an Indian musician,[25] with tabla[23] andbreakbeats.[14]
"The London Radar" is an audio collage ofclipped speech,[25] which recites aeroplane protocols,[15] recalling Daft Punk's sound[18] and the work ofthe Chemical Brothers.[26] "Spectral Mornings" is an 14-minutepsychedelic song,[16] which channels the 1960s work ofGrateful Dead, andGeorge Harrison[19][27] The song, which attempts to recall "7:20am Jullandar Shere" from the band's second studio albumWoman's Gotta Have It (1995),[21] featuresSheema Mukherjee on sitar and Gallagher on guitar.[11] When touring with Oasis, Gallagher would perform with Cornershop and wanted to collaborate with them. A failed attempt occurred when Clinton was working on their debut while Gallagher was working on an Oasis album.[12] The first demo of "Spectral Mornings" ran for 40 minutes; Singh said it "would have been longer, but the tape ran out".[13] "Slip the Drummer One" is a dance track[19] that includes scratching sounds from Swift.[11] The album concludes with a reprise of "Heavy Soup".[15]
In August 2001, Cornershop released "Motion the 11" on a promotionalseven-inch vinyl record after a DJ set in London.[28] On 8 January 2002,Handcream for a Generation was announced for release in three months and its track listing was posted online.[29] "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" was made available for streaming throughDotmusic's website on 1 February 2002.[30] Later that month, the band were expected to preview songs from the forthcoming album at a performance atScala Theatre, London.[31] The day before the show, a continuously changing remix of "Spectral Mornings" was posted on the band's website.[32]
"Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" was released as the album's lead single on 4 March 2002.[33] Two versions were released on CD; the first includes "Returning from the Wreckage" and a remix of "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" byOsymyso,[34] while the second includes remixes of "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" byMidfield General andDetroit Grand Pubahs.[35] The music video for "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" was directed by Douglas Avery, based on an idea from Singh, and filmed in South Africa. It follows a rock star as he performs on a stage, as well as being in a hot tub, riding an airplane and unwinding in a hotel room.[36] All of the remixes were released on12-inch singles; two for the UK[37][38] and one for the US.[39]
Handcream for a Generation was released on 1 April 2002 throughWiiija;[31] the album was intended to be promoted with a UK tour the same month,[40] and a US tour that was expected to last until the end of May.[41] On 23 April 2002,[42] the US edition was released throughBMG and distributed byV2 Records.[8] The following week, the band were announced to perform at theCoachella festival in the US.[43] In May 2002, "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" was released tomodern rock radio stations in the US.[9] Before returning to the UK, Cornershop planned to perform atFleadh Nua, a festival in Ireland.[44] In July, the band were announced to support Oasis for one show in London,[45] and were expected to co-headline the festivalSummer Sundae.[46]
"Staging the Plaguing of the Raised Platform" was released as single on 19 August 2002 under the title "Staging".[45][47] Two versions were released on CD: the first included "Green P's" and the music video for "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III",[48] while the second CD included "Straight Aces", and remixes of "Staging" and "Motion the 11".[49] In June, the band were expected to perform atReading and Leeds Festivals.[50] In October 2002, it was announced Wiiija had released Cornershop from their contract because of poor album sales;[51] Singh later dismissed rumours Cornershop had disbanded.[52]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[53] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [16] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[54] |
| The Guardian | [20] |
| Los Angeles Times | [17] |
| NME | 8/10[18] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10[19] |
| Q | [55] |
| Rolling Stone | [23] |
| Spin | 6/10[14] |
| The Village Voice | A[56] |
Music critics gaveHandcream for a Generation a generally favourable reception. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received anaverage score of 78 based on 23 reviews.[53]
In a review forThe Guardian,Alexis Petridis complimented the variety of musical styles, writing; "[w]hat should be an incoherent jumble is held together by sheer exuberance". Though akin toSandinista! (1980) bythe Clash, the album's "ambitions are occasionally overreaching", saying "Spectral Mornings" is "pushing it a bit" and "Slip the Drummer One" "meanders about in a directionless, potheaded haze".[20] Nichols said while "these lush tracks may at any instant recall Booker T., the Velvet Underground, XTC, T. Rex or countless other acts, they're indisputably Cornershop".[17] Tim Kessler ofNME said the album "lifts the soul with a joyful infusion of psychedelic thinking and brilliant rhythmic cross-genre filching".[18]Pitchfork contributor Rob Mitchum said with the album's "effortless genre-hopping and EPCOT cultural sampling, [it] is the most globalist musical statement" since the music video for "Black or White" (1991) byMichael Jackson.[19]
David Fricke ofRolling Stone called the album "a festive crash of cultures, a Babel of loops and ethnic body language. Dixie R&B, Bollywood kitsch, Crooklyn hip-hop, Eurotrash electronics ... Singh shakes 'em up like rats in a box."[23]Robert Christgau inThe Village Voice praised Singh as someone who "comes to the idea of world music naturally" and described the album's mood as "[h]ow to be conscious and happy at the same time".[56] Erlewine said while the album "all flows well", there is "no hiding that for all their political stances and past reputation, Cornershop doesn't really have all that much to say this time around".[16] In a review forSpin,Josh Kun said it "often feels mapless", compared to the subdued nature of their previous album.[14] Ian McCaleb and Brad Reno ofTrouser Press said the album is a "very bad" sequel to Clinton's debut because it "focuses almost entirely on energetic grooves, proving that all the momentum in the world is worthless if it's not headed in a specific direction".[21]Chart Attack writer Elizabeth Chorney-Booth criticized Cornershop for leaving "us waiting for nearly five years for something this mediocre" that had "too much filler".[57]
Handcream for a Generation peaked at number 30 on theUK Albums Chart. "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" and "Staging the Plaguing of the Raised Platform" peaked at 37 and 80 on theUK Singles Chart, respectively.[58]
All songs written by Tjinder Singh.[11]
Personnel per booklet.[11]
Cornershop
Production and design
| Additional musicians
|
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[59] | 30 |
Citations
Sources
