When I Was Born for the 7th Time

Cornershop's When I was Born for the 7th Time from 1997 remains one of the most imaginative and deliriously fun albums I've encountered.  I have fond memories of the fall of that year, spinning the CD a zillion times in my funky walk-up apartment in a building that was over sixty years old.  Felt so organic, so appropriate. Hard to explain.  I've never been much for dancing but damned if I didn't get on up a few times when this one was on. 

The Punjabi sounds, courtesy of brothers/vocalists/guitarists Tjinder and Avtar Singh, keyboardist Ben Ayres, and drummer David Chambers blend perfectly with hip-hop and rock.  Complex stuff, expertly performed and mixed.  Plenty of samples, too;  there's some spoken word from Allen Ginsberg in "When the Light Appears Boy".  You may be familiar with the international hit "Brim Full of Asha", with its instant earworm melody.  It and "Candyman" have been used in several commercials.  You can really hear co-producer Dan the Automator's input on instrumental tracks like "Chocolat" and "State Troopers (Pt. 1)".  Some weren't pleased with his influence on this album but his inclinations are right on here.

The lo-fi goodness of "Sleep on the Left Side", the lead off, beckons from its first notes, squeezed out of an accordion. "Good Shit" was also widely played, though its title frequently and understandably altered for shy venues.  It's infectious and playful, like pretty much everything here.   "Funky Days Are Back Again" sports vocals that sound like karaoke, and that's part of its charm.  There's even a duet (with Paula Frazer) in "Good to Be on the Road Back Home", probably the most traditional sounding tune.

My favorite? A cover of the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood".  Tjinder's delivery of the lyrics may sound rushed, but to my ears it's harmonically compatible with this arrangement.  I wonder what George thought of it? 

I love genre hybrids like this, and never tire of this album.  Regrettably I've not kept up with Cornershop, save "The London Radar" from the 2002 follow-up Handcream for a Generation.  A good one to hear under headphones during your next British Airways flight.  One of my many, ahem, peer to peer site downloads.  Time to delve back into this group.