|
Tubthumper
09/23/1997 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Ken Micallef
Chumbawamba is one of those oddities that happens every few years, when a band typically corralled to the nether regions of the commercialized music biz suddenly creates a song that becomes a radio anthem singalong, probably surprising the group even more than jaded radio programmers and PR flacks. Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" sports the frat-sung hook "I get knocked down/ But I get up again/ You're never going to keep me down," with the kind of glue-sticking potency that makes your ears beg for more. Surrounding this pub chant with a cooing female ("Danny boy, Danny boy") and snippets of sampled film dialog from new cult classic Brassed Off ("I thought that music mattered"), Chumbawamba survive their silly name to become a witty, unexpected dance-fueled treat. Tubthumper unfolds like a demented cabaret act that knows how to slide in the hooks while spearing you with subtle social commentary. Imagine Ace Of Base as a crafty, leftist group from Leeds...that's Chumbawamba. "Do you suffer from long term memory loss?"
|
