Primal Scream Vanishing Point Creation, 1997 amazon

As i'm off jaunting around the country, i can't get to my iTunes to see what's been occupying me lately. So instead i'm going to write about one of my favorite albums of the last 10 years, Primal Scream's Vanishing Point from the tail end of the brit pop explosion in 1997. The pundits without fail point to 1991's Screamadelica as the Scream's apex. And to be fair, there's ample evidence with which to make this argument: the funky dance pop pair of "Come Together" and the aptly-titled "Loaded", the gospel-tinged "Movin' On Up". But parts of me can't help but hold it up to Vanishing Point (one album removed from Screamadelica by the forgettable stoner rock of 1994's Give Out But Don't Give Up). From the swirling sounds that blend into the sitar and hazy synth of "Burning Wheel" to the spy flick soundtrack of "Get Duffy", from the dub guitar power of "If They Move, Kill 'Em" to the British invasion rock of "Medication", from the industrial grit of "Kowalski" to the soul of "Star", the album covers a century of genres and treats each with the same excellence while infusing them with an undeniably unique style. Where "Higher than the Sun" was a dub symphony in two parts that probably could've been accomplished in one, "Trainspotting" is a ten minute climactic opus that rolls in and out of an evolving bass groove, held up by a hollow bass drum. Vanishing Point is astonishing in its scope and complexity, and is undoubtedly the Scream's masterwork.

login to submit comments