Millionaire - Outside The Simian Flock

"They Say I Can't: But I Do What I Want To" was the bands opening shot from the single "Come With Me" and it summed up more than any record in the past 12 months. Dark electronica fused with scratchy funk guitar, a real tune to die on the disco to and then they top it off a risky steal from Bowie. It's the sort of record most bands spend a life time trying to make and while it packs a lifetimes of influences into just over four minutes it still sounds as catchy as the latest Simon Cowell endorsed pop monstrosity.

"Outside the Simian Flock" on the other hand is at times the most dysfunctional disjointed album released on the general public since Now This Is What I Call Schizophrenic Disco Rock Volume 1. Kicking off with the twin brother of "Come With Me", "Body Experience Revue" sounds like the best song INXS never released and eerily features the lyrics "Will Not Stay Too Long, Baby Can't You See". Its almost as if songwriter Tim Vanhemel has been possessed by the soul of Michael Hutchence just so he can utter the words "How Can I Be Everyone? How Can I F**k Everyone?".

"Aping Friends" condensed the best parts of Gary Numan's career into 3 minutes via his industrial Nine Inch Nails period which again Vanhemel almost takes on another persona and speaks to the world as its medium. At times though this schizophrenic personality can often result in songs which are obvious homage's to his musical heroes rather than genius magpie like steals from true gods. "Her Gender (Fixed)" veers a little too close to the Dandy Warhols which in their own way are a pastiche of the previous generation, while "Blindfold" is taken from the Nick Cave book of gothic transcripts.

Millionaire are band who's experimentation and influences guide them daily, but ultimately it sometimes fall short of their original intentions. "Outside The Simian Flock" features true glimpses of genius shining through but its those small lapses in vision that devalue an otherwise great album.

Alex McCann

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