Daily Staff Writer

“Fat Of The Land”

Prodigy

It seems somewhat fitting that Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines “prodigy” as 1) a portentous event, 2) an extraordinary, marvelous or unusual accomplishment, deed or event or 3) a highly talented child or youth.

“Fat of the Land” is certainly an extraordinary effort by one of the best techno acts in the world. Following in the successful footsteps of DJ Shadow, Chemical Brothers, Orbital and Aphex Twin, Prodigy has already established itself as the most talented of the bunch.

The singles “Breathe” and “Firestarter” show the amount of talent at Prodigy’s disposal. The former features great bass intertwined with studio trickery and heavy, sweeping guitar riffs. The result is a hypnotic number with a powerful chorus (“Psychosomatic addict insane”).

The latter has all the frenetic fury of a banshee’s scream and the bite of Pac-Man on PCP. The hit single has a fantastic beat and spitfire lyrics.

But Prodigy certainly hasn’t limited its talent to two good songs. The rest of the disc (with one exception) is just as good, if not better. “Climbatize” is possibly the greatest techno song ever.

It thrives on a lush atmosphere of electric energy, thriving bass and funky rhythm. Of course, mimicking the classic organ riffs from The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” doesn’t hurt the song any either.

“Smack My Bitch Up” is guaranteed to make you move with its catchy rhythm and bass designed to shake whole city blocks. The song also has beautiful arias mixed throughout, courtesy of Shahin Bada.

Other highlights include the Beastie Boys’ “Root Down” being sampled on “Funky Shit ,” the lyrics of the hypnotic “Diesel Power” (“Blows your mind drastically, fantastically,”) and the funky breaks of “Narayan.”

The only real disappointment on the disc is Prodigy’s cover of L7’s “Fuel My Fire.” It does have nice keyboard riffs spiraling together with heavy bass, but it seems to lack a spark and is rather bland compared to other offerings.

Overall, “Fat of the Land” is extremely enjoyable. It doesn’t get old after listening to it a couple of times (I’ve listened to it about a hundred times during the last week), which is a rare thing to find these days.

4 stars out of five.

— Ben Jones