Tobacco - Ultima II Massage

Being an enigma can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you can be unpredictable and not have to explain your motivations. On the other hand, you are almost expected to deliver the unexpected. Tobacco and his Black Moth Super Rainbow band are wearing their mystery well some 11 years into their career, and on this third solo offering Tobacco builds on the previous Beck-enhanced Maniac Meat to deliver a barnstormer.

From the opening fuzzed-up 'Streaker' to the closing 'Bronze Hogan', this is a collection of dirty dance grooves which mix funk and vocoded vocals to great effect. It sounds like an extension of Maniac Meat and, instead of having Mr Hanson as a focus, Tobacco is the prime mover. Tracks like 'Eruption' bring a rise in tempo, leading to greater focus on rhythm, which is the strongest part of this offering. The grimy numbers like 'Beast Sting' contain hooks and fills which make you want to move and, at times, cringe at the depraved joy they're delivered with.  

This is the music which will fill the dancefloor a millennia from now: creepy, futuristic, groove-laden and extremely cool. We are just lucky that Tobacco is far ahead of the game and able to deliver it to us now.