Cheap On the Ropes (Music) (Mint Royale) Price

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Customer Reviews of On the Ropes

Party Masterpiece on Speed/Prozac Cocktail
Mint Royale has put out a complex, upbeat, fun, musical party masterpiece of an album. This mere density of melodies and content of this album is amazing. "Deadbeat" is a bubbly, hyperactive dance tune of whimsy that will send all of its listeners into an orgasmic twirl. "Shake Me" has a nostalgic, old school sound that sounds like what "Grease 2000" might would be like. Other favorites of mine include "Because I'm Worth It" and "Diagonal Girl." This group has the creativity of the Beatles, yet they're hip, danceable, and square, all at the same time

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3 1/2 stars. I'm here to do the job that you respect of me.
I decided to check out Mint Royale because they were mentioned in the same sentence as The Avalanches and Solex as "pop-pastiche" artists. What could be better? I love Solex and The Avalanches, and the idea of building pop songs from samples is very appealing. The comparison is misleading however. Mint Royale has a lot more in common with Fatboy Slim than the other two. Not that I'll hold that against them, but calling this "pop-pastiche" isn't correct. Mint Royale are more concerning with beating you over the head with giant beats than with crafting new pop songs. These are collages or DJ mixes, while The Avalanches and Solex are songwriters. There, now that that's cleared up...

I nearly winced the first time I heard "From Rusholme With Love." If you've seen Vanilla Sky, you know the song because it played in the unbelievable scene with Tom Cruise running through an empty Times Square. The song has a constantly repeating tabla melody, and if there's one thing that post-modern dance artists don't need now is another tabla beat. Countless R&B and hip-hop artists have used it, and I figure Missy Elliot's "Get Ur Freak On" should be the end-all tabla dance track. Strange how it got so cliche that fast. Anyway, things get better from there.

"Don't Falter" is one of the songs that feature vocals, and as such, comes closer to pop-pastiche sound. It's summer-y, and has some bubblegum lyrics, but since most of the music repeats, it still comes across as dance. Same goes for "Show Me," the best song on the album which features Pos from De La Soul. The music in this one is infectious. It features what sounds like a sample of chorus women singing, and that gives it an almost church-like quality. It's easy to picture Pos on the alter rapping to the parishners, "Here comes my boys, Plug 3 and 2 / My name's Plug 1, I'm here to do / The job that you respect of me." I've read some people comments that the music sounds "Latin" and mixes "the old with the new," but I don't hear any of that. More likely, they just chose the samples that best served the beat.

Sadly, a lot of what Mint Royale does is simply add instruments, take them away, and put them back like countless others do (Basement Jaxx?) . They do have their quirks though, and that's what stops them from being cookie-cutter. This is the type of thing you hear in car commercials where all the people sing along to it in the cars. You know what I'm talking about. If "Because I'm Worth It" isn't playing in a Gap store somewhere already, I'll be surprised. This is what Rachel Leigh Cook and her friends dance to wackily during the prom at the end of the movie. It outdoes anything Fatboy Slim's done in a while. (Does anyone really like that "Weapon of Choice" song, or is it just that video with Christopher Walken?) So if you *do* need some big beat music for whatever reason, make the sensible choice and put down the Fatboy CD and get this one.

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If you liked "Start the Commotion" by the Wiseguys...
I first heard Mint Royale's music on a dance mix CD -- the song was called "Don't Falter", and to this day I do not understand why this wasn't a huge hit during the summer of 2000; this bright, breezy, guitar-laced jam is the reason I bought this album. Luckily, there's a lot more on here. Here are my favorite songs on the album, in order:

Track #2: Don't Falter (I already discussed this one)

Track #1: From Rusholme With Love - this one is great. Has that 'Fatboy Slim' retro-bounce to it. Love it!

Track #4: Because I'm Worth It - More of that Big-Beat, Fatboy sound. Bouncy and hip.

Track #3: Show Me - Celebratory sounding. Samples a Bertha Egnos (South Africa) song called "Sesiya Hamba" and it shows. A member from De La Soul raps here. I want to hear the original song now...

Track #6: Take It Easy - Great song...nonstop dancing.

Track #9: Diagonal Girl - the fastest of all my faves...has a "chase" sound to it, like something BT would have composed for the movie "Go".

Hmm...need more convincin, eh? Alright. I am by no means an electronica expert...but I do dig the happier, fun stuff like Daft Punk's "Digital Love", Fatboy Slim's fun stuff -- especially "Gangster Trippin", and Groove Armada's "I See You Baby". If you like those too, you're in the clear. If you don't, you might want to listen to the audio samples (that is if your computer will let you!) first. But all things considered (seriously), if you like dance music with leanings towards 'Big Beat' ala the Wiseguys or Fatboy Slim, by all means -- proceed. Give 'On The Ropes' by Mint Royale a chance. You'll probably like it.

Thanks for reading!

C.H.R.