The Prodigy – Invaders Must Die

The most positive aspect of The Prodigy is how this act performs electronic music with the rambunctious spirit of punk rock. On the down side, however, (and it’s a downside bigger than Aretha Franklin’s fat ass) this act’s “songs” are little more than chanted slogans placed over aggressive beats. Yes, you can rock out to The Prodigy, instead of doing that Euro head-bob popularized years ago on Saturday Night Live. But there isn’t any real depth to their albums, and no lyrics to speak of.

Without any plotted stories or carefully planned lyrical exercises to get behind on Invaders Must Die, the listener is forced – and quick – to look for any and all variations on a musically limited stylistic theme. The track “Thunder,” for example, stands out from the rest due to its Jamaican-accented vocal and slight dub musical effects. Its repeated lyric states: “I hear thunder/ But there’s no rain/This kind of thunder breaks wall and window panes,” for no apparent reason.

CD closer, “Stand Up”, also stands out for being closer to a soul music instrumental, instead of just another dance floor fire starter. With an easygoing beat, prominent horns, and appropriate keyboard fills, this might be what an Otis Redding record may have sounded like – if, of course, he was still around. Then again, there is no vocal on it. But a vocal isn’t necessary because this is an electronic exercise that combines a little old with a little new, for something slightly new.

The disc’s first single is called “Omen”, and it appears twice – the second time as “Omen Reprise.” Its lyric is so vague; it could be about almost anything. “Now, the writing’s on the wall/ It won’t go away/ It’s an omen.” Is this a political warning? Or maybe it’s some kind of demonic experience. Perhaps it is science fiction in nature. The latter may be the best usage for it – whether this was the intention or not – simply because electronic music, such as this, is perfectly suited for sci-fi movies. When the song returns in its reprise mode, toward the end of the CD it’s only a 2:14 revisit.

A track name like “Take Me to the Hospital” shouldn’t come as any great surprise, considering all of the violence expressed via the bulk of these songs. “Colours” imagines a dance floor scenario where combatants duke it out dressed in their battle uniforms. “Warrior’s Dance” is more of the same, although the use of female vocals is a nice contrasting touch to all the other macho posturing. With “Run with the Wolves” and “Piranha”, dangerous creatures are referenced, and for “World’s On Fire”, nothing short of nuclear holocaust is suggested. In short, this is a summer blockbuster action movie, in musical format.

I imagine all this noisy music sounds different in a club. In fact, I hope it sounds a whole lot better. This is not, by any means, listening music – easy, or otherwise. These songs were kind of annoying while I listened to them driving in L.A. freeway gridlock. The beats were going extremely fast, while my car was nearly standing still. It made me edgy and restless, and I certainly didn’t feel like dancing.

A lot of people still like this kind of music, if the tents at Coachella are any indicator. But The Prodigy do little to distinguish themselves from the oftentimes overly generic nature of the form. But the first act in this bunch that proves it can write a decent song, however, will likely earn my everlasting gratitude. I’m not holding my breath for that occasion, by the way.

Tagged as: Electronica, England

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