Which, when applied to Everything But The Girl, can only result in a resounding Yes! and YES!!
I was over the moon when Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt announced on Twitter last November that they had made a new EBTG album, their first together in 24 years. Fuse will be out in April and the first single was teased yesterday.
Nothing Left To Lose is a spectacular comeback, a familiar fusion of heartache and hard beats. When Tracey comes in with the opening lines "I need a thicker skin / The pain keeps getting in", it's like meeting an old friend for the first time in a long while but feeling the hurt in that separation, as well as the joy of reuniting.
The video, directed by Charlie di Placido and choreographed by Miranda Chambers, is spectacular on an intimate level. No cameos from Tracey or Ben, but the five dancers in a cafe in the depth of night brilliantly captures the essence of the song.
I cannot wait to hear what the rest of Fuse sounds like. This promises to be no nostalgia trip but exactly how Everything But The Girl could and should sound in 2023.
Today's selection is a nostalgia trip, however, taking you back to the late 1990s and when Tracey and Ben were deeply immersed in club culture. I've avoided the obvious Todd Terry remix of Missing (Chris & James do the honours there) and gone for his rework of Wrong. You also get a healthy dose of BPMs courtesy of Darren Emerson and Peter Rauhofer as well as some pre- and post-club remixes from Brad Wood and Trevor Jackson.
The closing track is an older song, Everything But The Girl's cover of I Don't Want To Talk About It, which they released as a single in 1988, spending 9 weeks in the UK chart and reaching #3. Housemeister 69 put out a bootleg remix of the song in 2005, the same year that Virgin released the Adapt Or Die: Ten Years Of Remixes compilation. At that point, Tracey and Ben were doing their own thing - brilliantly, it has to be said - and six years on from the last EBTG album, even then the prospect of new music seemed remote.
It turns out the wait would be four times that but, if Nothing Left To Lose is anything to go by, boy is it worth it.
1) Single (Brad Wood Memphis Remix) (1996)
2) Missing (Chris & James Full On Club Mix) (1994)
3) Before Today (Darren Emerson Underwater Remix 2) (Full Length) (1997)
4) Five Fathoms (Club 69 Future Club Mix By Peter Rauhofer) (Full Length) (1999)
5) Wrong (Todd Terry Remix) (Full Length) (1996)
6) Driving (The Underdog Mix By Trevor Jackson) (1996)
7) I Don't Want To Talk About It (Housemeister 69 Mix) (Cover of Crazy Horse) (2005)
Really like the new track - if this represents what's coming next - I'm all for it!
ReplyDeleteMe too, Mike!
DeleteVery excited for this as well. My wife and I both love EBTG but for different reasons. She loves the early acoustic stuff, I love the dramatic remixes.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mooz. I've got a foot in both camps and love all eras of EBTG. I think the new album is promising to have something to appeal to you both. My hastily compiled selection may have ticked more of your boxes, hope you enjoyed it!
DeleteGreat choice for a post title Khayem! I tried to be cute with mine as well. WHAT A TRACK! Tracey sounds so soulful and free in her vocals, the oscillating bass is mind bending. NOTHING about Nothing Left To Lose sounds dated or like anything we have heard before. Taking their time to come back together, while never being apart is something most comebacks don't have to deal with. Ben and Tracey have always been thoughtful and deliberate, even when their music sounds organic and natural. Fuse is going to be killer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, Echorich. Ah, it's just wonderful, isn't it? I'd only been listening to a different version of Single (the Photek remix) the other day so those lines immediately sprang to mind for the post title. It's been a real pleasure listening to the EBTG remixes again but they also serve to highlight how very NOW Nothing Left To Lose. The video is one of those very rare and special things that complements the song to such an extent that my enjoyment of Tracey and Ben's voice and music is further enhanced. Hifi Sean and David McAlmont's Happy Ending will take some beating but EBTG are going to be some serious competition!
ReplyDeleteBTW, i have left comments on some of your other recent posts but for some reason I can't leave any for your wonderful EBTG post. I will keep trying!
DeleteI heard the new single on the radio just a couple of days ago and was really impressed. Always loved Tracey's voice and love the way it has matured too - there's something about relating to it and to her, being similar in age, that I find very reassuring somehow. Will be really interested to hear the rest of Fuse and it's just great that they're back.
ReplyDeleteThanks, C. I think the fact that Tracey and Ben have relatively active in the intervening years has meant that it was quite a shock when it was reported that the last EBTG album had been in 1999! They're just great, aren't they?
Delete"This promises to be no nostalgia trip but exactly how Everything But The Girl could and should sound in 2023. "
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I'm hoping for.
I've a feeling we won't be disappointed, JC, quite the opposite.
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