Long Beach California’s Ugly Duckling have been around for 18 years and this is their fifth album. Andy C, Young Einstein and Dizzy Dustin have built a solid fan base stretching California and much of Europe and beyond, outlasting many of their ilk, such as Jurassic 5 and are better known than, say, Dilated Peoples, amongst others.
This is a concept album. The concept being that the likeable trio are a band on the run being pursued by a gang of super criminals- probably a nod to some sort of government department out to get money from artists’ who’ve already had their income limited by illegal downloads, forcing many to make concert appearances to pay their bills, only to have the tax man put a gun to a proverbial kneecap for Uncle Sam’s share.
The entire album is a funk and Latin groove sample odyssey, played out with a breezy charm of ‘Head’, the classic Monkee’s movie from 1968. ‘Keep It Movin’ sets the pace and tone of the album- a trio of foolish Gringo’s stuck in a Road-Runner/Bugs Bunny cartoon landscape pursued by a stereotypical Mexican bandito and his merry henchmen- over a Latin funk beat that goes from fast to medium pace back to fast. ‘Momentum’ sounds like vintage Beastie Boys complete with big horns and a wonderful EPMD sample “push to the limit and yo, that’s it”.
‘$100 Weekend’ is a combination of guitar licks and 1960s TV musicak, with our hapless trio trying to enjoy a day or two off on a budget. ‘Elevation’ is a lovely marriage of funk and boogaloo personified- a party/club stomper, with some nifty scratching. ‘I Wonder Where She is’ is an upbeat letter to nomadic love on tour (Glasgow, France, Brighton), and just as consistently fast-paced as the other cuts. ‘Anything Can Happen’ is a positive ode to time spent in a new city, even if the rapping funny men are “hit by a cab” and “a thug moves in... and makes a demand”. The horns and trumpets make this a really compelling aural adventure.
‘How It Used to Be’ takes the audience back to the Golden/Silver era of hip-hop, that many talk with third-party mythology and those that talk about it, having lived through it. Consistently, the funk flows through. The scratches and samples and piano stabs and licks just notch up the feel-good vibe. There’s even time for a six minute, bananas showcase of Einstein’s DJ skills as he lays down a Latin-fried melody and puts some musical (sample) nachos and (scratching) fajitas on the fantastic ‘Einstein Buys a Monkey’.
Do the boys’ get away successfully from ‘da man’? Well, you’ll have to cop the album to find out. However, what I can guarantee, should you purchase this album, is a brilliantly produced, off-the-wall and positive 14 track banger.
A little bit bonkers, for real, but also a genuine glug of refreshing musical difference; a complete 180 degree turn around from the over produced ear-clogging chart crud that passes for crossover hip-hop. Rap isn’t a sacred cow, but nor is it a suppository. 'Movin’ At Breakneck Speed’ is a cartoonish, highly entertaining and hugely positive album. It shows what can be done when sincere and highly talented individuals try to take things to a different level and not stick to the usual one-dimensional, one subject matter narrative and formulaic production values.
