Don't
be fooled by the 4AD connection. South London's Cuba deals in an eclectic
mash of guitars and beats that leans closer to the Chemical Brothers than
the Cocteau Twins. "Leap Of Faith" is the self-produced debut from
Christopher Andrews and ex-Chapterhouse drummer Ashley Bates. They
throw various improbable genres and even Fidel Castro himself into an
ambitious melange that is a thoroughly invigorating affair.
Not
always sophisticated or self-conscious, the slide blues of "Foxy's Den"
and the guitar-riffing of "Havana" share a lack of pretence with Apollo
440 and the Grid. The winding groove of "Peak Flow" displays greater
subtlety, and "Black Island" conjures up a sense of brooding drama with
the assistance of the ever-wonderful Shara Nelson. "Winter Hill" is worthy
of the highest praise; the soft vocals of Mojave 3's Rachel Goswell float
over a glowing, country-tinged melody and a brass-fuelled crescendo.
Muze
"...veering
between the inspired... and the predictable... (It's) the moments where
Cuba let those cinematic moods wash over them that they truly find their
voice."
Like
Apollo 440 without their newfound cartoony edge, Cuba are Canadian Christopher
Andrews and Brit Ashley Bates - specialise in cinematic, rock-informed
dance music. Instrumental, save for choice vocal cameos, these veer
between the inspired - Fidel Castro on "Peak Flow", for instance - and
the predictable: "Black Island", all rolling hip hop beats and weeping
strings, is their homage to "Unfinished Sympathy", not least, of course,
because it features Shara Nelson. Better is the loungey '60s-inflected
"Starshine",with sugary top line provided by Angie Brown. But it†s in
the moments where Cuba let those cinematic moods wash over them that they
truly find their own voice.
By
Tom Doyle, Q Magazine (November 1999), 3 stars out of 5
A
relatively unknown soldier from the Big Beat wars of 1999, Cuba's Leap
of Faith is an excellent representative of both the best and worst that
the much-maligned genre had to offer. Thin, watery audio collages like
"King of Kelty" and "Hail Mary" are nothing more than album filler, while
the corny, horn-y "Havana" looks around for the EMF album it belongs to. On
the plus side, the bluesy, almost Led Zeppelinish "Foxy's Den" gets the
dance-groove, rock-swagger recipe just right, and the optimistic rap over
a telegraphing guitar squall in "Cross the Line" is as furiously catchy
as it is predictable. Ironically enough, the track that least seems
to belong here, the sunny, wistful "Winter Hill" (with guest vocals from
Mojave 3's Rachel Goswell), is the key reason to pick up this record.
By
Bob Michaels, Amazon.com
When
4AD head of A&R Lewis Jamieson heard a two-and-a-half minute song
by south London act Cuba he was so desperate to sign them he offered to
put his personal finances on the line. "It was obvious from that very
rough tape that theyd hit upon some kind of new way of manipulating old
sounds", he says. "And getting a balance between digital technology
and analogue instrumentation that I hadnt heard anyone else do".
He
was so impressed with Cuba, as duo Christopher Andrews and Ashley Bates
call themselves, that he got 4AD to finance two white labels, with the
proviso that he would cover any losses. Jamiesons belief in the band was
justified when the first white label, Cuba 1, sold out its 500-run pressing
in November 1997. In December, 4AD officially signed the band and in February
this year, a second white label was issued. Since then, Cuba have released
two more singles on 4AD, the 12-inch only "Urban Light" in May and "Cross
The Line" in July.
The
result has been a queue of major publishers (Warner Chappell and PolyGram
are said to be in the running), several would-be big-name managers and
the attentions of the press and television. Regardless of the outcome
of these discussions, the bands belief in their talents is solid. "I think
were being reasonable in expecting to be the most critically successful
band on 4AD since the Pixies", Andrews says. "We want to be its most
commercially successful. I think thats possible and I think 4AD believe
that".
Jamieson
plans a relaxed but steady build for the band. "My ambition for Cuba
is for the next single to go Top 75 and the one after that to go Top 40",
he says. However, the bands work schedule is certainly not relaxed.
Cuba are currently finishing tracks for their debut album and mixing their
next two singles, and they are undertaking a series of live dates. The
pair recently finished remixing Hurricane #1's next single and last week
played a hugely successful Rough Trade night at Colognes Popkomm. This
hard-work ethic and quest for perfection drives all Cubas music - their
studio work sounds crisp and unique, while the live shows are raw and
energetic.
Preceded
by two more singles, Cubas album - working title "Death By Cuba" - will
be released in February, a half-vocal, half-instrumental work, similar
in nature to Primal Screams 1991 "Screamadelica" album. Live, Cubas
sound is beefed up with slide guitar, drums and bass, in addition to Bates
lead guitar and Andrews keyboard and decks. Ex-Earthling rapper Mau provides
live vocals on three tracks and the act are searching for a capable female
singer - former Massive Attack vocalist Shara Nelson is highly tipped. According
to Jamieson, "The ethos at 4AD is if you sign a band or a musical project
and you value it, it should have the legs and the ideas to develop over
time".
Cuba
certainly look like they have the potential to do exactly that.
By
Sarah Davis, Dot Music (August 24, 1998)
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