The second Unkle album, Never Never Land, was quite a disappointment after their debut, Psyence Fiction, but War Stories represents a significant return to form for James Lavelle's outfit. The soundbite review of War Stories is that it's Unkle's rock album. To emphasise this, returning guest vocalists Josh Homme and 3D are joined by the Cult's Ian Astbury. The merging of rock and DJ culture - always a tricky one to pull off - works seamlessly here, epitomised by the opening of Hold My Hand, where a timeshifted sample leads smoothly into a thumping ZZ Top-style riff (although the guitars quickly become more Robert Fripp than Billy Gibbons). Astbury's unusually restrained contributions take him into brooding Mark Lanegan territory, and are among the highlights of an impressive album on which Lavelle's work once again matches up to his reputation.
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