Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip are the double act that fuse street poetry with hard house beats. A successful release in the shape of Angles under their belts, what do the band have to offer when it comes to their second outing, ‘Logic Of Chance’. Before my review of the new album, I managed to catch up with the enigmatic lyricist, Scroobius Pip, and tried to find out a bit more about their brand new album.
- Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip
Live4ever: So it’s been 2 years since the release of ‘Angles’, what’s been happening in the world of Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip in that time?
Scroobius Pip: Has it really been two years?! I wish I could say we have been relaxing on the island we bought with the advance from the first album but the truth is we have been pretty much touring constantly! I always envisaged a “months off to write the next album” scenario but it ended up being written partly on the road and partly in the brief gaps between shows.
L4E: You dealt with a lot of serious issues on that album, the affects of suicide appearing in two songs, will this album have similar depth or will it take a slightly different direction?
SP: Both really. Sure by the second song I am banging on about domestic violence BUT there are also a fair few songs that are more light hearted. There tends to be a serious point within most of them but hopefully its not being forced down the listeners throats! We write music for people to enjoy. It just happens to sometimes get abit dark along the way…
L4E: You had some great beats/melodies on ‘Angles’ with the odd sample throw in, on the new album does it steer more towards beats or samples?
SP: Definitely beats. We made a huge effort to avoid the troubles of sampling this time round, took way too long to clear things like Radiohead last time. The drums are way more important this time round, maybe that’s a by-product of so much touring.
L4E: Will there be any guest spots on ‘The Logic Of Chance’? or anyone you would like to have worked with?
SP: There are two guest spots on there! A great American singer called Kid A and a guy that we have toured with and been fans of for years called Kid Carpet. There seems to be a “kid” theme….very odd. Dan produced the Kid A EP last year and she seemed perfect for a track on the album called Cauliflour. On the Kid Carpet front, it stemmed from us both being fans. Dan really liked one of his tracks and kind of re-wrote and re-worked it and that helped me along to write a lyric I had been working on for a while.
L4E: Who or what has been the biggest influence on ‘The Logic Of Chance’?
SP: Everything and anything, from cheap Italo compilations bought in charity shops to the tosh in the pop charts.
L4E: Has growing up in Essex ever been an influence on your music or lyrics?
SP: It has certainly influenced my lyrics. I think that where you live will always have some kind of effect on you. There are a few songs on this album that look at some of the issues that I think society is facing right now and that is often based upon my experiences in Essex.
L4E: Obviously I am very pleased you guys have done a second album, but was that always the plan to continue as an act rather than solo artists?
SP: Yes it was. It’s strange, having the “vs” in our name has always made people think that this was a temporary thing! When we signed our three album deal we both did so with the full intention of doing three albums! Two down, one to go! Obviously we have talked of doing little solo bits here and there but this is and always has been the goal. If it ain’t broke and all that!
L4E: Being totally immersed in the London music scene, has their been any new acts over the last year that have stood out for you that you would like to mention?
SP: Truthfully neither of us tend to be too immersed in the London scene! haha. We both live outside London and tend to only venture in when its absolutely essential! There are some great acts knocking about though. Sound of Rum are about to come on tour with us (and release their album) and Peggy Sue have just signed with Wichita. Both of whom are acts I have been a fan of for sometime now.
L4E: Finally, Will you guys be touring the new album this year? If so, where can we expect to see you?
SP: Everywhere! We start touring on March 14th and don’t stop until the festivals are in full swing! We have full tour dates over at http://lesacvspip.co.uk/. I think touring the new stuff is the most exciting part for me. Having new offerings for the fans is always fun!
Review Of ‘Logic Of Chance’
We welcome back the socially conscious poetic twosome that are Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip. ‘Logic Of Chance’ is the new album and it’s a strangely compelling piece of work that the Essex duo have created, but is their second effort a patch on the successful ‘Angles’?
‘Sick Tonight’ oddly starts with a fluttering of flutes which then transcends into an old school rave mash-up. It’s an open track about the nervousness of performing and the fear of fucking up. ‘Five Minutes’ is the first dark moment on the album, a dub-step bass heavy background with big beats. Pip also finds ways to hit you with a subtle line that will seem to resonate for a lifetime. ‘For the good times I wish you five minutes in heaven, so the Devil knows your dead’. Besides the odd song title, ‘Cauliflower’ introduces us to singer Kid A, a young female singer/songwriter, who has an Imogen Heap quality about her. The track itself really does not have much to say, but the angelic voice of Kid A makes up for that.
The first single to come off of Logic Of Chance is the educating ‘Get Better’. A crowd sing-along which could easily be a Glastonbury favourite. Dealing with the serious issues with a touch of wit thrown in, is what Scroobius Pip does best. The topic is the youth of today and the trials and tribulations of growing up and it is definitely the highlight of the album. The guys promised more beat heavy tracks and this approach is most prominent on ‘Stake A Claim’. With a hint of LCD Soundsystem driven by politically and heartfelt lyrics from Pip. ‘I will not move I will not change, I will not bend or be their games, I will stand tall with a full frame, I will take pride and will stake a claim’, barks the bard of Stanford Le Hope and with a powerful conviction too, Pip at his most angriest. What is definitely evident is the exclusion of samples on Logic Of Chance, which unfortunately what makes it fall flat at times. ‘The Beat’ is just aching for a massive big beat sample, but instead we get an uninspired backing track of very heavy house. It’s a fun song and a filler at best.
One of my favourite tracks on the album is ‘Last Train Home’, simply because it holds a special place for me as Pip name checks local towns. Humorous and witty with little cheeky snippets of ‘Rehab’ by Amy Winehouse. Last Train Home is basically what I wanted more of on Logic Of Chance, mixing comedy with social commentary is what makes Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip stand out from the rest. ‘Cowboi’ is the closing number and introduces yet another guest spot in the shape of Kid Carpet. It’s their ‘Dry Your Eyes’ moment on Logic of Chance. A gentle and touching number that is reminiscent of definitely some of their finer moments from Angles.
‘Logic Of Chance’ doesn’t hit you straight away, to be fair though, the guys themselves are not as instant as you would expect. With wry and witty lyricism from Pip and old school house rave beats from Le Sac, it certainly does not grab your attention straight away. At times the album falls flat, but makes up for it in it’s underlying and subtle messages. It’s a socially conscious record that certainly hits home when it needs too. For me their debut was fresh and original and personally had a lot to say. Logic Of Chance however, just does not have that same punch and unfortunately falls under the weight of it’s predecessor.
Peter Cornish-Barlow
