Diary

2011年、惜しまれつつも解散したザ・ミュージックと、現在活動休止中のザ・ストリーツ名義で活動していたマイク・スキナーの2人によるプロジェクト、The D.O.T.によるフル・デビュー・アルバムが遂にリリース! 2012年、世界に先駆け日本のみでリリースした、デビューEP『ホワットエヴァー・イット・テイクス EP』がスマッシュ・ヒットを記録。フジロック出演が起爆剤となり、その後リリースしたプレ・デビュー盤『アンド・ザット』も大ヒット。カリスマ的人気の高さを見せつけた彼らが遂にフル・デビュー・アルバムをリリース! ロブ・ハーヴェイのハイトーン・ヴォーカルとマイク・スキナーのラップ&ヴォーカルが絶妙な掛け合いをみせる究極の作品が完成!

By the time Mike Skinner decided to pull the plug on the Streets, the Birmingham-born rapper was exploring and utilizing pop/rock ballad formulas that often felt out of place alongside his brand of U.K. garage. The Music's Rob Harvey became his go-to chorus singer during these early ventures into unknown terrain and it comes as little surprise to see the pair taking things further with the D.O.T. Both parties, free to explore this habitat on a full-time basis, have pulled the shackles off to create an album full of charm and character, albeit with a few imperfections along the way. Skinner sounds like a man reborn, reaching for the kind of high notes during the kind of ballads that may have hardcore fans of Original Pirate Material wriggling uncomfortably in their seats. But it is Harvey who claims the majority of the vocal duties here, delivering lines with gravitas and heart, such as on the poignant, soulful ballad "Blood, Sweat and Tears," where he laments "And the time that I gave you/I could never take it back/And it doesn't seem to matter anymore." Diary features a wide array of styles, from the vibrant dance of "Wherever You May Be" to the indie pop of "Left at the Lights," but neither of those hit the right note and only serve as evidence that Skinner is perhaps spreading his ambitious production skills a little too thinly. Frustratingly, the quality of Diary does dip in and out, with "What Am I Supposed to Do?" providing an unimaginative guitar bounce, for example. But when it works, it really does produce some memorable moments. The reflective tone of "Don't Look at the Road" is a welcome throwback to the Streets' "Dry Your Eyes," while album highlight "How We All Lie" is superbly crafted; a captivating beat, strewn with a subtle yet affecting piano line, joins Harvey and Skinner as they weave their vocals together tremendously. ~ Daniel Clancy|

マイク・スキナーと元ミュージックのロブによるユニットが、ついにフル・アルバムを発表です! 意外にもミディアム・テンポの曲が多く、ダブステップやディスコ・パンク、エレクトロニカなどを自由奔放に咀嚼。生音を重宝しているので耳触りはマイルドだし、あくまでロブの絞り出すようなハイトーン・ヴォイスを中心に置いているためか、凝ったビート・プロダクションもさらっと身体に馴染むところがいいね!
bounce (C)柴田かずえ