Anomie & Bonhomie

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Anomie & Bonhomie
Anomie & Bonhomie.jpg
Studio album by
Released26 July 1999
Recorded1997–1998
Studio The Townhouse (London, UK); Ocean Way Recording (Hollywood, California); Baby Monster Studios (New York City, New York).
Genre
Length49:27
Label Virgin
Producer David Gamson
Scritti Politti chronology
Provision
(1988)
Anomie & Bonhomie
(1999)
Early
(2005)

Anomie & Bonhomie is the fourth album by the British group Scritti Politti, released in 1999. [1] The album marks a sharp departure from their previous synthpop era and features contributions from rappers Mos Def, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, and Lee Majors of Da Bush Babees.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Anomie & Bonhomie was generally well received by critics; however, opinions regarding the reinvention of Scritti Politti's sound through its mixture with contemporary genres and vocal styles such as grunge and hip-hop, respectively, were both praised and denounced by critics.

Allmusic said that of the contemporary "updates" that "rapper cameos, vague house beats, grunge guitars -- sound as if they're pasted over backing tracks from 1986. Not necessarily a bad thing, but disconcerting, since the heart of this album is squarely in Cupid & Psyche 85 territory." Ultimately they conclude: "Anomie & Bonhomie [...] remains faithful to the sophisti-pop aesthetic the band pioneered in the mid-'80s." [4]

NME stated that Gartside successfully takes influences from contemporary genres such as grunge and hip-hop and "hammers" them into the Scritti aesthetic, concluding, "Gartside has returned with an album as glossy, eccentric and beguiling as he's ever made" [5]

The Independent was more critical, claiming that Anomie & Bonhomie has an "uneasy alliance between hard rock, hip-hop and ambient", that the album "comes waving a big sign announcing its sophistication, but, for all the care and polish taken in its execution, it lacks the easy, relaxed air that sustains the truly sophisticated." [6]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Green Gartside, except where noted.

  1. "Umm" (Gartside, Lee Majors) - 4:14
  2. "Tinseltown to the Boogiedown" (Gartside, Majors, Mos Def) - 4:55
  3. "First Goodbye" - 5:13
  4. "Die Alone" - 4:23
  5. "Mystic Handyman" - 3:46
  6. "Smith 'n' Slappy" (Gartside, Mos Def) - 4:53
  7. "Born To Be" - 3:53
  8. "The World You Understand (Is Over + Over + Over)" - 3:13
  9. "Here Come July" - 4:00
  10. "Prince Among Men" (Gartside, Majors) - 4:07
  11. "Brushed With Oil, Dusted With Powder" - 6:05

Personnel

Production

Studios

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References

  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Anomie & Bonhomie: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Scritti Politti – Anomie & Bonhomie > Review at AllMusic
  3. "Anomie & Bonhomie". NME . 12 September 2005.
  4. Scritti Politti - Anomie & Bonhomie Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved 23 June 2023
  5. NME (12 September 2005). "Anomie & Bonhomie". NME. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  6. "Pop: This Week's Album Releases". The Independent. 22 July 1999. Retrieved 23 June 2023.