James Lavelle has a lot of stroke in the music business. Psyence Fiction proves this, as he enlists the talents of tons of artisits, such as Metallica's bassist Jason Newstead and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke. Neither Lavelle or Shadow sing, so they got a lot of help from this one.

The first two tracks of Psyence Fiction hint about it being a concept album, something about the space craft UNKLE 77 being lost in space. The only problem is, the album doesn't turn out to have an all encompassing theme, which is one of its few flaws.

Nearly every song has its own feel, and the two mellowest songs on the album are the two best. First, the swooping nine minute epic "Loney Soul" with vocals by Richard Ashcroft formerly of the Verve. The combonation of his voice and the fluctuating orchestra background create a sonic masterpiece. The other track is at the end of the album, "Rabbit in Your Headlights" with Thom Yorke lending his talents for the song. It's a very light song, with a relaxed piano score and a slow break beat that builds and fades constantly throughout the song. Both tracks are a perfect example of the true potential of UNKLE.

Most of the tracks on this albums are pretty strong, but a few fall short here and there. Otherwise, UNKLE is definitely something special and a great record for any fan of the electronica genre.

Brilliant Assortment of Delightful Chaos!
Crafty, lively, witty, uneven but never boring. What a fine brew. From the very first track featuring a fine performance by Kool G Rap in the staggering "Gunblazing [D.o.D. pt 1]" this album captures the ears, the heart, the imagination and last but least, the feet. From here it just takes off into the cosmos, colliding with celestial bodies of different types.

Excellent performances hear by all guess artistes: KOol G Rap does his gangster rap thing as mentioned above. Alice Temple crooning to the trip-hop peice "Bloodstain". Richard Ashcroft's epic lenght "Lonely Soul" accompanied by a string section that remind us of many tracks in "Urban Hymns". Badly Drawn Boy (who ever that is) delivers a hard rock flavored "Nursery Rhyme" backed up by some heavy guitars and turn table scratches by DJ Shadow. An excellent performance by Mike D. doing "The Knock [D.o.D. pt 2]" backed by guitarist Jason Newstead and even more intriuging stuff by Shadow. Sweet and ironic lyrics by Atlantique (?) on "Chaos". Finally a fitting closing track featuring a splendid performance by Thom Yorke singing "Rabbit in Your Headlight" that sounds like something he might have done on his own album "OK Computer". (love that bass guitar).

Kudos to the masterminds of all this chaos, the men from UNKLE, DJ Shadow and James Lavelle for mentaining the sci-fi theme incorparated with great production values. Good job, y'all.

Some beautiful moments...
As a die hard Radiohead fan I bought this album after hearing the track "Rabbit in Your Headlights", sung by their front man Thom Yorke. However, I was not sure what to expect from the rest of the album, and I must say, I was not disappointed... well, not completely. The album contains some truly amazing highpoints, such as the track "Lonely Soul" and "Blood Stain", which alone make the price of this album (used) more then worth it (you should be able to acquire this CD [...] used on this site).

Some of the reviews claim the album lacks a flow of togetherness, but this is simply false. All the tracks flow one from the other beautifully, and I felt there was no detachment or inconsistency between the songs... albeit the various genre influences. But its on this regard, genres, that you will either think this is a masterpiece or just so so. Not being a rap fan, I found the albums rap/hip hop tracks to be rather dull and seemed much less thoughtful then the high standard set by "Lonely Soul" and "Rabbit in Your Headlights". I think the hip hop elements could have worked well in this, but they were just presented poorly here. For example, the lyrics too "Knock" seemed to be painfully old tired cliché lines.

However, despite some less then inspired moments, "Psyence Fiction" is an impressive work overall, and well worth the beautiful moments it presents, which are many considering the best songs are easily over 5 minutes each. And if you do have a higher tolerance of rap/hip hop then I, you will most likely find even more to love in this album.

Brilliant integration of stylez
What happens when alt-rock and Joe Satriani ("Unkle Main Title Theme") meet Massive Attack ("Blood Stain", "Unreal"), Craig Armstrong ("Celestial Annihilation"), and you pour a little straight-up Public Enemy-like hip-hop into the mix? Sounds like science fiction? Fatboy Slim, you say? Not really. How about Psyence Fiction, U.N.K.L.E.'s ultimate definition of the future of music in 1998, and one that certainly goes beyond 2004?

Granted that this work as a whole is a masterpiece (haven't taken it off my jukebox in over two weeks now), the pinnacles of the album (it has two) come when the voice of The Verve's Richard Ashcroft breaks the silence in track #5, singing "God knows your Lonely Soul..." and when the unmistakable voice of Thom Yorke embraces you in "Rabbit in Your Headlights" close to the end.

What more can you ask for? This album is as close as it comes to perfection in blending musical styles. Listening to it six years after its original release sounds every bit as fresh as it did back then. Indeed, I dare to say it sounds better today, because a lot of these sounds have sunk in, to become a part of mainstream culture, something that says a lot about how far ahead of their time these guys were back then.

Worthy
Although U.N.K.L.E. is indeed James Lavelle and DJ Shadow, this album is, in essence, the product of an artists' collective. As a result, it's a fairly mixed bag. There is a running theme about aliens that attempts to lend some cohesion to the proceedings with in-between bits and spacey sounding music, although the boys don't entirely pull it off.

The rap songs (the opener "Guns Blazing" and "The Knock") rock hard with heavy drums. But I often skip these along with the rocking "Nursery Rhyme" because I'm in the mood for (and I prefer) the lower key stuff like "Unkle Main Theme" and "Blood Stain," the latter being a great song & beat with really downer lyrics I can relate to. Also, "Unreal" is a pretty trippy instrumental. "Celestial Annialation" is another vocal-less track that's a bit more ominous sounding.

"Chaos" is primarily a female vocal and guitar that I don't care for and always skip. And track 6 is a mock commercial intended to be a comment on the music industry that need not be heard more than once.

The album's themes are decidedly negative. That's certainly true of the standout tracks "Lonely Soul" and "Rabbit In Your Headlights."

"Lonely Soul" is sung by Richard Ashcroft of Verve fame and it's powerful. The String section sounds fantastic. DJ Shadow wrote the music (or constructed it?) on this song as on most of the album. I must say, this is perhaps the most musical music he's done.

"Rabbit In Your Headlights" alone makes this CD worth getting. Amazing that Tom Yorke kept this, one of his best songs, from his Radiohead mates. Those opening piano chords just kill me, and then comes Tom's angelic voice with those poisonous words," . . . fat bloody fingers/ sucking your soul away." Whew! This guy really sounds like he's been to some harrowing place! And that beat . . . this track is just incredible.

Despite some real shortcomings, I feel "Rabbit" and the other great songs hear elevate the album to 4 1/2 stars (or in this case 5). The rating is meant to reflect its worthiness for purchase. Even the lesser material is at least interesting and the album stands as something pretty unique.
This ambitious effort shows Mo' Wax label guru James Lavelle taking on the role of director, orchestrating a grand design, and translating it musically with the talents of studio muse DJ Shadow. Most accustomed to working solo, Shadow demonstrates here his adaptable talents in collaborating with others, whether it's on the powerful "Rabbit in Your Headlights," a track recorded in 1996 in which Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke eerily foreshadows his later success, or in "Guns Blazing (Drums of Death Pt. 1)," the album's only traditional hip-hop track, which pairs annihilating beats to Kool G Rap's equally lethal vocal delivery. Psyence Fiction, which also features contributions from Beastie Boy Mike D and the Verve's Richard Ashcroft, is certainly one of the most epic and eclectic records to emerge from the electronic world this year, one that should not only further the efforts to bridge the musical segregation that exists among the hip-hop, alternative, and electronic camps but also introduce these cultures to a few new surprises of its own. --Tamara Palmer