The first time I heard about Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip was in my last year of university in the form of their song Thou Shalt Always Kill - my friend's ex-girlfriend mentioned it having heard it on the radio but took offence to the line "Thou shalt not watch Hollyoaks". When I eventually heard the song I was more taken in by the "...just a band" verse and appreciated not only the sentiment but the list of bands. It's not every day that the name Minor Threat gets mentioned on Radio 1.
Between that single and release of The Beat That My Heart Skipped the duo got a lot of attention, and I was certainly excited for their debut album to be released, even more-so after seeing them play in Clwb Ifor Bach just after I moved to Cardiff. I remember hearing a lot of the songs from Angles for the first time on that stage and the fact that I still picture them being played live that night when I hear them now shows what an impact that gig had (the support band that night were a relatively local band called The Anomalies who I heard nothing about afterwards but enjoyed greatly on the night).
The following May the album came out and I rushed out to buy the cd. The next day I found the LP in Spillers so bought that and sold the cd to my housemate who was also a big fan. Despite being in the middle of the Tuesday-Record-From-Spillers year, I'd bought the cd (in HMV!) because I didn't anticipate a) it being released on vinyl or b) Spillers getting it in; luckily I was wrong on both accounts. As an added bonus, the LP came with a copy of the album on cd anyway, so I really had no need to keep the cd I'd bought. The LP is certainly the far superior package, spread nicely across two records and with a 24x24" poster of the artwork and lyrics.
One of my other housemates used to complain about me listening to this album because he really hated the band for some reason. It's easy to be negative and assume anything that gets a lot of radio play is shit, but I really enjoy this album. Musically and lyrically there's a lot going on and the resulting songs all stand out and it makes for a very enjoyable listen. I briefly got into long-distance running and found myself going back to this album a lot when doing marathon training; I liked that I was basically being told stories whilst I ran. Moreover, the stories were varied and gave me something to think about.
There are some really great songs amongst the 12 on this record - Thou Shalt Always Kill and The Beat That My Heart Skips are the two most well-known, and are both great songs. Letter From Man to God, the chilling title track Angles and Tommy C are all instant highlights too (Angles in particular has given me food for thought on a number of occasions; the ability for a song to do that shouldn't be underestimated). Even the songs that I'm less of a fan of as song have some great moments, like the periodic table rap on Development. Magician's Assistant always makes for uneasy listening.
For me though, the real highlight of the album is the lengthy closer Waiting For the Beat to Kick In. As Pip raps his way through the song he meets film characters who all give him bis of advice. Whilst some of it feels a bit cheesy I've always liked a few of the ideas, in particular the idea that you control your own moods and can be happy if you so choose to be; less positive is the last character who reminds the listener that they're not a perfect person, which is something I think is worth remembering.
Format: Double 12", 24x24" poster
Tracks: 12
Cost: £13 new
Bought: Spillers Records
When: 13/05/08
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: cd included
