Madness - Oui, Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da (Album Review)
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Written by Alec Chillingworth
If you’re ever feeling bogged down with the amount of work you have to do, you really should have a quiet word with the lads from Madness. 2012 has been a stupendously hectic year for our favourite nutty boys; performing on top of Buckingham Palace, at the Olympic Closing Ceremony and a plethora of outdoor concerts was only a warm up for their extensive ‘Charge Of The Mad Brigade’ tour kicking off next week (yes, that was a shameless plug. Buy tickets here). All of this was achieved whilst the band were beavering away at their tenth full-length studio effort ‘Oui, Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da’. After their sumptuously conceptual 2009 masterpiece ‘The Liberty Of Norton Folgate’ was heralded by many as the best output of their entire career, Madness had one hell of an act to follow.
Within the first fifteen seconds of putting this album in your CD player, you’ll know exactly who it is. It’s just so quintessentially Madness; main man Suggs’s instantly recognisable chatter pulls you straight into the jolly tones exhuming from album opener ‘My Girl 2’. The winning combination of cheeky lyrics coupled with a jovial ska-pop beat is prominent here, as it is throughout the whole album. Elements from ‘…Norton Folgate’ have been wisely retained for this latest creation, with surprisingly chilled-out guitar solos popping up in ‘My Girl 2’ and album highlight ‘Leon’ amidst others, providing a different flavour devoid on earlier Madness releases.
Guitarist Chris Foreman is an unpraised king of the ‘less is more’ technique, seldom churning out Pink Floyd-esque bursts of ambience from the fret board. Instrumentation and musicianship has just been given an extra kick in the backside, really. Lee Thompson’s trademark saxophone sound just reeks of swagger; coupling his playing with strokes from a violin makes for an obscenely triumphant tune in the form of ‘Small World’.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Madness album without a healthy dose of dry, self-deprecating British humour. During album highlight ‘La Luna’; Suggs mutters the immortal line ‘faint wafts of nostalgia blowing gently on the breeze’. This is incredibly apt given the context, seeing as the song sounds like the mutant, slow motion offspring of the band’s 1979 hit ‘Night Boat To Cairo’. Madness’s ska roots are also unashamedly mixed with an unexpected urban beat during album closer ‘Death Of A Rude Boy’, coming off like a contemporary take on classic 2-Tone track ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials. The boys clearly mean business, and this up-to-date spin on their uniquely wacky sound is a testament to this.
Whilst there are many merits to be found on this latest release, there is one looming, ominous niggle during ‘Oui, Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da’ that causes it to fall short of being in the same league as earlier albums such as ‘One Step Beyond’ or ‘Absolutely’.
Filler material. Whilst there are no bad tracks on the album, cuts such as ‘Circus Freaks’, ‘Kitchen Floor’ and ‘So Alive’ just aren't up to the same standard. Nobody would’ve been crying if they didn’t end up on the final cut. Again, they’re not bad tracks; they just don’t add anything extra to the proceedings. They’re just bog-standard Madness tracks; this may satisfy some, but many will be left craving for something with a bit more depth.
Is this the best album Madness have ever produced? No. Is it better than ‘The Liberty Of Norton Folgate’? No. Is it a worthy addition to the Madness back catalogue? Of course it is. All of the boxes are ticked on album number ten; you will still be left wondering what backing vocalist/dancer/general maniac Chas Smash actually does. You will still be fighting the urge to drop whatever mundane task you’re doing and dance like a lunatic for the majority of the album. And you will still probably prefer this to most of the tripe dominating the pop charts at the moment. Madness have continued to do whatever they want for over thirty years now, and it’s succeeded for them ten-fold. Plus, you need this album so you know all the songs for when you see them live. Because they really are one of the most infectiously fun live bands on the planet. And you’ve bought a ticket for their upcoming tour, haven’t you? Of course you have.
‘Oui, Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da' is out now. Madness kick-off their 'Charge Of The Mad Brigade' UK tour next week.
Wed November 28th 2012 - The O2 Dublin, Dublin
Fri November 30th 2012 - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Sat December 1st 2012 - The Brighton Centre, Brighton
Mon December 3rd 2012 - Bournemouth International Centre and Pavilion, Bournemouth
Tue December 4th 2012 - Plymouth Pavilions, Plymouth
Thu December 6th 2012 - Capital FM Arena Nottingham, Nottingham
Fri December 7th 2012 - Liverpool Echo Arena, Liverpool
Sat December 8th 2012 - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne
Mon December 10th 2012 - SECC, Glasgow
Tue December 11th 2012 - Sheffield Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield
Thu December 13th 2012 - LG Arena, Birmingham
Fri December 14th 2012 - The O2 Arena, London
Sat December 22nd 2012 - The O2 Arena, London
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Within the first fifteen seconds of putting this album in your CD player, you’ll know exactly who it is. It’s just so quintessentially Madness; main man Suggs’s instantly recognisable chatter pulls you straight into the jolly tones exhuming from album opener ‘My Girl 2’. The winning combination of cheeky lyrics coupled with a jovial ska-pop beat is prominent here, as it is throughout the whole album. Elements from ‘…Norton Folgate’ have been wisely retained for this latest creation, with surprisingly chilled-out guitar solos popping up in ‘My Girl 2’ and album highlight ‘Leon’ amidst others, providing a different flavour devoid on earlier Madness releases. .jpg)
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