Search - Durutti Column :: Fidelity

You mess me up

loteq | Regensburg | 03/02/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Another "post-Factory label" effort, this album contains some good, if not particularly interesting music. Mixing actual dance rhythms with Vini's typical guitar playing, "Fidelity" is similar to 1990's "Obey the time", but less innovative and electrifying. And I've never been a lover of these childish female vocals. Take this album as a good first purchase for new fans, but as part of the largely brilliant Durutti Column oeuvre, "Fidelity" is a disappointment."

From the hip

loteq | Regensburg | 06/01/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Closely allied with Manchester's famous music scene, multi-instrumentalist Vini Reilly created some of the best and most original avant-garde pop music of the '80s. In 1990, he even gained some attention in club circles with the album "Obey the time", a great fusion of acid house with jazzy guitar lines. "Fidelity" tries to repeat this success, but since dance music made a great leap forward in the early-'90s, it doesn't push the boundaries very far. It's quite enjoyable and uplifting, though. The album's first half is much stronger, relying on gurgling sequencers and melodic techno-pop songs. The slamming title track, the wonderful "Future perfect", and the drifting "Abstract of expression" are the highlights here. However, the second half's tracks are mostly tedious. The pre-programmed drum loops drone on and on in "Sanko" and "Grace", and the more guitar-oriented tracks like "G&T" and "Storm for Steve" are not among Vini's memorable efforts. After all, "Fidelity" is an o.k. album for fans of Manchester-based dance music, but it displays that Vini has lost his orientation and his cult status in the '90s."