There's a sizeable controversy in the books world currently about the new novel by Fay Weldon. Called 'The Bulgari Connection', it's raised complicated questions of product placement, given that the posh jeweller's mentioned in the title originally commissioned the story. Could Woolworth's have done a similar deal with the Mancunian musician, Jon Brooks, behind this likeable debut album?
Listening to 'Ming Star', it seems unlikely. After all, why would a high street emporium famed for selling Top Ten singles, fluorescent sweets and stationery choose to brand a slightly odd electronica boy whose album features a deeply unpleasant tune about stalking and nine other tracks unlikely to trouble the charts?
They would, of course, be immeasurably cooler if they did. The King Of Woolworths received his name thanks to a knack of selling his music everywhere on the internet, even down to rather tawdrily namechecking himself on message boards. Naff name aside, Brooks is evidently a pretty skilful sample manipulator, as the aforementioned 'Stalker Song', with its varispeed police interview of a stalker's victim proves.
Dubious taste notwithstanding, it's one of the less successful tracks here. 'Ming Star' splits pretty neatly in two. There are hard-edged, slightly dated, slightly dancey pieces like 'Stalker Song' that suggest Brooks spent a little too long in his bedroom studying the first Leftfield album.
Much better are the more cinematic, avant-lounge tunes like 'Kite Hill' and the exceptional 'Bakerloo', where he effectively draws on Boards Of Canada, Four Tet and his Manc compatriots at Twisted Nerve to make something much more atmospheric. There's nothing truly groundbreaking on 'Ming Star', but plenty that's a little creepy and diverting. In the spirit of Woolies, perhaps it's best to pick'n'mix.
