Bmg Italy Dougan Rob - Furious Angel

Rob Dougan may not be a household name, but his debut single (featured here on Furious Angels) could barely have escaped anyone's attention. Originally released on James Lavelle's Mo Wax label in 1995, "Clubbed To Death", with its melancholic string sweeps, doom-laden bass and dogmatic break-beats, became not only the ultimate trip-hop record, but one of the most licensed tracks ever. Yet despite generating $1.5million from its use in films like The Matrix and countless adverts, Mo Wax were less than enthusiastic about Dougan's debut album; eventually he would fund most of its six years of recording himself. On first listen, Mo Wax's reluctance is understandable. Rather than playing up "Clubbed to Death"'s demonic dance element, Furious Angels treads an altogether more cinematic path. Indeed "Will You Follow Me?" and "Instrumental", are straight Star-Wars-style classical pieces. Elsewhere, when he does fuse his lavish orchestration with dank beats, as with "Left me for Dead" and the title track, the clattering rhythm track is merely an eerie backdrop for some staggering string arrangements and Dougan's vocals. A striking resemble to Chris Rea aside, with his phlegmy rasp he manages to make the already murky "There's Only Me" and "I'm Not Driving Anymore" all the more desperate and wretched. All in all a phenomenally dark album--part Portishead, part Massive Attack, part deranged crooner- that's never less than epic.--Dan Gennoe

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