Faithless on Freegal

Faithless was a successful and much-acclaimed UK dance group active in the 1990s and 2000s. Fronted by Maxi Jazz, one of the smoothest rappers you're likely to hear, Faithless produced electronic music highlighted by intelligent lyrics which took on contemporary political and social issues, at times stirring up some controversy.  In 2006 MTV refused to play the video for "Bombs," a single released by the band which was pointedly critical of US and UK military involvement in Iraq.  A trilogy of animated videos Faithless released in support of their last album, The Dance, also generated some internet buzz with its erotic and psychedelic imagery.

During their 15 year career, Faithless frequently used noteworthy vocalists as a counterpoint to Maxi Jazz's rapping, among them Boy George, Cat Power, Dido and Robert Smith.  The instrumentation in Faithless's music was created largely by Rollo Armstrong (Dido's older brother) along with a female DJ (a rare thing in the male-dominated world of the disk jockey) named Sister Bliss.  Since they recorded all but their final album on Sony (or one of its affiliates), Freegal offers us a nearly complete collection of their music.  Read on for a quick tour of highlights from the band's releases on our download service.

The Hot List

Here's a sampling of some of the new stuff we've received over the last few months...

KT Tunstall, Invisible Empire/Crescent Moon:  I've liked KT Tunstall from the start, although I can't quite

pinpoint why. I wouldn't say there's anything particularly unusual about her but I've always liked her voice and song style. I heard an interview with her on NPR discussing this album (side note: are they still called albums?) and knew I would be interested in hearing it, especially after it was mentioned the album was recorded right here in Tucson with none other than Howe Gelb. (Longtime Tucsonans will know Gelb from way back in the day. He played in the legendary Giant Sand and has worked with many nationally known bands and musicians over the years.) Tunstall mentioned that she went through two big losses during the recording of this album, the death of her father and the end of her marriage. There's definitely a sense of melancholy and loss on this album, but I wouldn't call it depressing. My favorite tracks on the album are Feel It All (both versions) and No Better Shoulder.