It's hard to figure out, in these circles of indie and pop purists, whether FLC are actually cool or not. I mean, they should be, right? They look pretty cool, they talk cool, their songs are catchy and likeable and all about gangsters and stuff, and yet proper credibility somehow eludes them.
Maybe it's because there's something cartoon-ish and caricatured, about them. In their sleeve notes they thank Guy Ritchie, the Kray family, and 'Sal and Jonny's' (they mean Johnny Depp, stoopid, owner of LA's notorious club The Viper Room)…jeez, these guys are so, like, predictable, no?
Or are they? 'Loco', their third album proper begins with 'Where the Bums Go', which sounds convincingly like a London pub punk band circa 1978! They don't stay there long though, as they jump straight into recent hit single, ad assisted Santana pastiche of 'Loco'. Then there's 'The Biz', detailing the truths as Huey and the boys see it of the music business: "Music industry, that is what we are... sign the dotted line, let's have lunch sometime, and we can lie to each other, motherf***er". 'Run Daddy Run' sees a return to the smooth-voiced spoken word of 'Fun Lovin' Criminal' and 'Scooby Snacks'. 'Half A Block' and 'Underground' prove you can be too smooth for your own good, though.
'Bump' is genuinely funny with it's vocoder-assisted chorus "I met the finest girl of my life at Gay Night... it's so right, don't be uptight". What the politically correct brigade will make of this is anyone's guess, as you can never tell when FLC are taking the p**s in a friendly way or whether there's anything more sinister afoot.
'My Sin' is pure Sopranos soundtrack stuff, the kind of song that makes you want to drive in an open top Cadillac through the streets of Noo Yoik at dusk. 'She's My Friend' sees Huey coming across as almost a Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen character vocally, slide guitar washing over a backdrop of grand piano and acoustic guitar. The supremely mellow, dancey, 'There Was A Time', samples a delectable Wilma Burgess vocal from 'I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore'. Coming after this the rockabilly 'Dickholder' sounds a little pointless and is a real low for this record.
Other than that, 'Loco' is a guilty pleasure. Besides, if only half of the tales on this record are true, I wouldn't dare give it any less than a high recommendation.
