Bengali Bantam Youth Experience!
| Bengali Bantam Youth Experience! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Trance rock[1] | |||
| Length | 41:31 | |||
| Label | Warner Music UK | |||
| Black Star Liner chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bengali Bantam Youth Experience! is an album by the English band Black Star Liner, released in 1999.[2][3] "Superfly and Bindi" was released as a single and peaked at No. 78 on the UK Singles Chart.[4][5] The album was nominated for the 1999 Mercury Music Prize.[6] The band supported the album with a UK tour.[7]
Production
[edit]The album's sound was in part influenced by the music preferences of vocalist Choque Hosein's international relatives.[8] He was skeptical of being lumped in with the Asian Underground movement, although noted the increased attention.[9] Many of the songs are instrumentals that employ sitars and tablas.[10][11] "Silvini" uses Yorkshire dialect to lampoon England's fascination with Indian culture.[12] "Low BMW" is about the automotive preference of many English Indians.[13] "Pink Rupee" concerns gay life in Asian society.[14]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Birmingham Post |   [15] |
| Calgary Herald |  [10] |
| The Gazette | 8/10[11] |
The Independent noted that "the band derives most of its idiosyncratic character ... from the Indian-Trinidadian vocalist Choque Hossein, whose declamatory toasting style is in the tradition of Bo Diddley and Beefheart and Big Youth: loud and enigmatic and often funny, too."[1] Music Week said that the album "features brief bursts of history-informed rock cross-pollinated with Eastern sounds and Choque's upfront personality."[16] The Observer opined that "at their best, their instrumentals evoke the urban tension of Massive Attack and the Specials' 'Ghost Town'."[17] The Guardian stated that "nobody has ever sounded like this, principally because Kraftwerk weren't born in New Delhi and the Future Sound of London never left their studio."[12]
In 2024, Uncut placed the album at No. 465 on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of the 1990s".[18]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sita D" | 3:36 |
| 2. | "Swimmer" | 4:43 |
| 3. | "Low BMW" | 2:28 |
| 4. | "Gurdeep's Yellow Funk" | 4:06 |
| 5. | "Superfly and Bindi" | 3:47 |
| 6. | "Pink Rupee" | 3:14 |
| 7. | "Ethnic Suicide of the Volga Boatmen" | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Inder Automatic" | 3:39 |
| 9. | "Khaatoon" | 3:06 |
| 10. | "Silvini" | 3:33 |
| 11. | "Dark Shadow" | 3:04 |
| 12. | "Intafada Powder Line" | 2:17 |
| Total length: | 41:31 | |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Gill, Andy (22 January 1999). "Pop: This Week's Album Releases". Features. The Independent. p. 13.
- ^ Donnell, Alison, ed. (2002). Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture. Taylor & Francis. p. 48.
- ^ Wallace, Richard (18 December 1998). "Music". Features. The Mirror. p. 19.
- ^ Bell, Max (22 January 1999). "Leeds' star of Asia Choque Hosein of Black Star Liner has a sense of humour almost as rich as his music". Evening Standard. p. 33.
- ^ "Black Star Liner". Official Charts. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Entertainment: Manics lead Mercury shortlist". BBC News. 1999-07-27. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ^ Burnet, Andrew (28 August 1999). "Advance". The Scotsman. p. 3.
- ^ Williamson, Nigel (13 February 1999). "Global music pulse". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 7. p. 75.
- ^ McLaren, Leah (3 April 1999). "Thank you, India? Bindi Boom". The Globe and Mail. p. C22.
- ^ a b Muretich, James (13 May 1999). "Black Star Liner Bengali Bantam Youth Experience". Calgary Herald. p. HL14.
- ^ a b Dunlevy, T'Cha (27 May 1999). "Black Star Liner Bengali Bantam Youth Experience". The Gazette. p. B9.
- ^ a b Simpson, Dave (29 January 1999). "Pop CD of the week: Choque'n'roll". The Guardian. p. T18.
- ^ "Black Star Liner: Bengali Bantam Youth". Sunday Herald. 7 February 1999. p. 17.
- ^ Bonnell, Scott (21 May 1999). "Black Star Liner Bengali Bantam Youth Experience!". Nanaimo Daily News. p. D3.
- ^ Cowen, Andrew (30 January 1999). "Pop CD of the Week". Birmingham Post. p. 35.
- ^ "Reviews". Music Week. 23 January 1999. p. 6.
- ^ Spencer, Neil (24 January 1999). "Pop". Arts. The Observer. p. 9.
- ^ Robinson, John, ed. (2024). "The 500 Greatest Albums of the 1990s". Uncut: The Archive Collection. No. 7. p. 13.