The Prodigy, No Tourists, Album Review
The Prodigy
No Tourists
Album Review
The second album to review over the Late September/early November tidal wave of music is actually one that I've been waiting for for a while now. None other than the newest effort from The Prodigy: "No Tourists".
I was thrilled to find that Prodigy were making a comeback this year, signalled by the first teaser track "Need Some1", but obviously there wasn't an awful lot that I can predict from just that song and the other teaser track "Light Up the Sky" in terms of how the album as a whole would sound.
However when the album was finally released, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it turned out to be an incredibly fun and enjoyable effort from the very first listen and a remarkable improvement upon their previous album, "The Day Is My Enemy", released back in 2015.
The overall atmosphere of the album reverts back to 2009's "Invaders Must Die" with much more of a dance oriented composition rather than the more lyrical aspect of things that was far more prominent in "The Day Is My Enemy". It may be just a matter of personal taste, but I find that when it comes to creating less lyrical hardcore dance banger's, The Prodigy just can't be beat. And the majority of tracks of this album show no signs of losing impact anytime soon and instead could prove to carry through the Prodigy legacy even further forward.
Having said that though, tis album is by no means too similar to anything that they have done before. It still feels very fresh and exciting whilst also being familiar enough for listeners to quickly recognise each track as a Prodigy one.
The album fittingly opens with the two teaser tracks, "Need Some1" and "Light Up the Sky". When it comes to the first track I feel that it does get a little bit swamped by just how amazing some of the newer tracks are. However, it still stood as a genuinely engaging track that really did get me pumped for the new album. What I feel lets the track down however is the rhythm throughout. I could remember just wanting the song to just burst into this hyper fast rhythm which would've tied the track up very nicely. But instead I was left feeling like the track didn't really get too far and therefore it unfortunately isn't my favourite on the album. "Light Up the Sky" on the other hand, still stands as a track I love. It kind of reminds me a lot of another track from Prodigy in the form of "Spitfire" with the sheer volume in its drops which include very similar guitar and electric elements. In fact, I think that I could safely say that I even prefer tis track to "Spitfire" for having a bit more of a melodic tone to it (which I feel that "Spitfire" was always lacking). Needless to ay, "Light Up the Sky" is a stellar track!
Following these two is another very good track "We Live Forever" which has that level of quirkiness that reminds me a lot of the much older stuff from Prodigy. In other words, this can really be the track for you if you simply miss the old Prodigy. Its rhythm as well as some of the electronic elements is quite similar to "Everybody In The Place". It does still feel much more refined than a song released as far back as then.
The title track that follows this is a bit of a drearier moment on the album and does unfortunately feel a little bit like something I would expect to hear on "The Day Is My Enemy" a little bit. However, it does try and make up for this in atmosphere. I can't help but think that the sinister and despairing atmosphere can be linked to the current state of our country and possibly even Brexit. It almost sounds like a villains theme for our current leaders. But despite this thought-provoking atmosphere, I still feels that it lacks severely in energy which at this point I just feel The Prodigy need to have in all songs.
Up next is the result of what is essentially a match made in heaven which I never really considered until now. But "Fight Fire with Fire" is absolutely phenomenal! The track features none other than the group Ho99o9 which when paired with Prodigy can only mean one thing; utter chaos! The track also has a really cool rhythm which makes it feel mote like a rock song rather than a dance one, but when it all comes down to it, the best thing about this track is that it holds absolutely nothing back! It just has such an awesomely wretched sound that I just can't help but absolutely adore it!
I kind of see the next track "Timebomb Zone" as the sort of essential dance track on the album. It is the most purely dance track on the album in my opinion and I would wager that if you were a big fan of EDM, then this'd probably be one of your favourite tracks on this album. I kind of feel a similar way towards this track as "Need Some1" in the sense that while it is still an incredible track on its own, it just gets overshadowed by a lot of other amazing tracks on here. I still strongly believe however that it is a great track.
"Champions of London" is quite the typical Prodigy track and reminds me a lot of "Voodoo People" in a way. however, it still completely works as a track that easily gets you pumped the way that The Prodigy have done so well for so many years. The rhythm is fast and complex and the signature punk twist that the group have put on so many of their tracks applies here as well. It just works so well and always will!
One of the most interesting tracks on the album I must say is "Boom Boom Tap". The minimalism of the samples towards the drop sort of took me a while to get into fully but once I did, it had quickly become one of the albums finest tracks. And when I say finest, I really the "duttiest". Its just so hefty in bass which I think would make it an easy favourite for ravers, but its the drop and the little "Fuck you" that comes before it that makes this track hilariously good.
The penultimate track, "Resonate" reminds me the most of "Invaders Must Die" in terms of overall style. I really love the drums that come with the buildup, followed by the ultra-wavy melody that assists the drop. The rhythm is consistently good from start to finish and the sampling is also very nice. Yet another example as to why this album is so good.
Barns Courtney features on the tenth and final track "Give Me a Signal". And while I never really listened to Barns Courtney prior, I feel like he put on a good performance and added quite a bit of distinction to the track. I feel that it was a good way to end the album due to its dynamic nature which gives it that sense of being a good finale.
Overall I am incredibly impressed with this album and strongly believe that it is the best one that they have created in nearly ten years. And keep in mind that I am already thinking so highly of it very shortly after this release, so who knows how much of a classic it can become over time. My bet is that it may become one of the most revered albums of The Prodigy to date. Fantastic work guys!
Thank you for reading,
BBP
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