Album Review: UNKLE - End Titles… Stories for a Film
“This is not a new album,” James Levelle clarifies in the liner notes of UNKLE’s latest release End Titles… Stories for a Film. Instead, it’s, as Levelle puts it, a collection of songs that have been recorded since the completion of the British electronic duo’s 2007 album, War Stories. Heavily inspired by the visual arts, this ensemble features new versions of songs that originally appeared last year. There are also some collaborations, with the likes of Josh Homme and for a second time, Gavin Clark. Others that join along are Black Mountain’s Amber Webber and Stephen McBean and Joel Cadbury. It’s all pretty heavy from an outside standpoint, but once you dive into it, the record reveals itself as more of a b-side compilation stemming from the previous record’s sessions. Fortunately, it’s a set of b-sides that give you more to grab onto than War Stories.
What could seem like an overdone album at 22 tracks, you instead find heavily produced songs that give off a very large presence, starting after the intro track “End Titles”. “Cut Me Loose” is the beginning of several chances for listeners to get to hear Gavin Clark’s additions, channeling Bono with his drawn out lyrics that melt right into the music. Levelle provides the vocals for “Ghosts” which is another ode to dark dance inspired rock, which in actuality is the theme for this band and record, in particular. The song flows into a thirty-second stringed reprise that makes the appropriately named song even more haunting.
Clark comes back for “Blade and The Black” (originally appearing with “Synthetic Water” on More Stories), and his vocals become a reoccurring theme for the record. While it can work with certain songs, it begins to drone on in a usual fashion, mashing all of his guest appearances into the same indistinguishable form. There are some exceptional tracks on the record one of which is “Chemical.” The good credit comes with some help on vocals from Homme. Unlike the last time the three worked together (”Restless”), this feels more like Homme’s style, and at points could be mistaken for a Queens of the Stone Age b-side, circa Lullabies.
Many of these songs, while strong, can begin to blend into one another at times. Point and case can be heard in the end of “Nocturnal” and “Blade In The Black” as both use the same vocal techniques with similar reoccurring moments in the music. “Against the Grain” takes the record to a depressing place as Gavin Clark comes back again to lay down vocals that feel closer to what he is used to with Clayhill. The song is a nice break, incorporating sharper strings and a different style of writing that doesn’t see the lyrics stretched out and the beat so constant. It’s more organic than what has been offered up thus far at the half waypoint. The strings carry very nicely on the 40 second “Even Balance” that serves as a suspenseful introduction for “Trouble in Paradise”. Interestingly enough, this is the full version of a song that was used in their home country’s BMW ad. With that in mind, you can’t help but picture that stereotypical luxury car gliding over winding roads with one of those deep accented voice overs that revel about the shiny, over priced trim and iPod controls.
Then it happens. Nineteen tracks later, Abel Ferrara brings out the only acoustic guitar on the record for the refreshing “Open up Your Eyes”. It’s a completely different direction once again, and one that breaks up the record just in time for the finish. “Heaven” also breaks out the acoustics for an echoing ambient soft rock that startles the void between good and Sting. It is a piano that takes us out of the rabbit hole on “The Piano Echoes” written by Zeban Jameson. The record ends like a tragic romance. We are left lost, in an almost sleepy form than where we started.
This outfit has offered up some very interesting and well produced remixes in the past, having worked with everyone from DJ Shadow to the Butthole Surfers, Radiohead, and Beck to just name a few. While a solid album, it feels like just that: one block of music punctuated at times, eventually drifting you off to sleep. Music such as this is great in small doses and live, but for an hour and half, it can be a bit much. Take it in stride and listen to it in pieces, that way you do not slip into a weird, depressive haze.
Rating: 
Check Out:
“Blade in the Back” (feat. Gavin Clark)
“Chemical” (feat. Josh Homme)
Nicely written review E.N. and I can’t disagree with most of your logic. However, my opinions and subjective take on the album differ quite a bit. True, much of UNKLE’s work is dark and moody, but I certainly never find it depressing. While Lavelle & Co. will most likely never match the awesomeness of “Psyence Fiction,” I think “End Titles…” is a very solid album and quite possibly the most diverse UNKLE album to date. Personally, I’d bump that rating up to **** (4 stars).
That’s what makes music so great.