This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Gee, here’s something new: A British band being hailed as “the future of rock ’n’ roll.” (By my count, Britain’s music scene now has more futures than your average Philip K. Dick novel.)
Still, there’s no denying Black Star Liner might be a tad ahead of their time. Like Talvin Singh and Cornershop, this Leeds trio lace their electro-pop with the tabla, sitar and keening voices of Indian music. But they don’t stop there; BSL’s everything-and-the-Krishna-in-sync approach also factors robotic Kraftwerk vocals, surf-twang guitar and throbbing reggae grooves into its head-trip banghra. This dub narcotic sound system may not be THE future, but BSL certainly have A future.
