(Southern Fried Records/Liberator Music)

Norman Cook’s fantasy ‘70s alter-ego with celebrity guests

Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim has always been one of a handful of dance music celebrities to possess a sense of humour and an awareness of the wonderful ridiculousness at the heart of pop. Like many a musical eccentric, Cook has temporarily taken on another persona, this time as ‘chairman’ of fictitious ‘70s Brighton musical collective The Brighton Phonographic Authority. Supposedly the ‘lost tapes’ of the Authority, I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat is primarily a bright record of quirky but commercial pop songs beefed up with Cook’s trademark bass-heavy beats. Some great fun is had along the way, including Iggy Pop sneering through He’s Frank, originally a track by post-punk cultists The Monochrome Set. Emmy The Great’s Seattle is a radio-friendly winner, while Justin Robertson’s Bowie-esque tones help Island sound like a more restful variation on the Thin White Duke’s Teenage Wildlife. But the highlight is certainly the Caribbean party swing of Toe Jam, making inspired use of both David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal. While we don’t have our next Right Here Right Now-styled summer anthem on this disc, I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat is still a welcome reveal of Norman Cook’s more relaxed, light-hearted side.

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MATT THROWER

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