Who Can You Trust? is the debut release for Morcheeba. It combines downtempo electronica grooves with traditional soul instrumentation and the delicious vocals of Skye Edwards.
Morcheeba’s music is great for dancing or for just chilling out. The music is consistently chilled, with slow grooves, mellow lyrics, and Edward’s soulful voice.
The instrumentation on Who Can You Trust? is widely varied, from traditional lounge jazz trumpet, to loop-based beats, to string quartet and French horn. Ross Godfrey plays guitars, bass, Wurlitzer and synth. Brother Paul Godfrey programs the beats, plays drums and provides scratching.
The music is trippy and hypnotic. The CD starts with Moog Island. The lyrics on the first track is a good introduction to the type of song that Morcheeba write:
“Sometimes I get up feeling good but greed gets me down,
I try to think about the highs, the freedom we’ve found,When the business in your life don’t sit with your soul,
And they treat you like a child they need to control.The music that we make will heal all our mistakes and lead us,
The music that we hear is always standing near to feed us.We’re all gonna rise above all things that we lack,
Good vibrations that we make will come bouncing back.The music that we make will heal all our mistakes and lead us,
The music that we hear is always standing near to feed us.”
The bluesy lyrics and form on Moog Island are typical of their music.
Trigger Hippie was their first hit. It’s a trip-hop song that is an extended play on words. It’s not much lyrically, but it does show how Morcheeba can make something interesting out of minimal material.
The song Who Can You Trust? is very long for a pop song, almost nine minutes. The song is slow to the point of being lanquid. Morcheeba isn’t afraid to slow things down and take the time to explore a vibe, similar to the way early Pink Floyd explored extended spacy rock ambiences.
The only weak track on the CD is the strange Almost Done. It’s hard to say what this song is about, but it sounds like filler. The lyrics sound more unfocused than ambigious:
“Tears run down my face
As you spray me with your mace
I thank you
I’d love to
Cut your throat
You’ll never sing a note
I thank you
I’m almost done
This ain’t no fun”
Overall, though, the CD does a great job of maintaining a mellow groove, making this a great CD for turning down the lights and chilling out.
