Primal Scream - Dolls

Whatever happened to the exciting and experimental side of Primal Scream shown on their last three albums? It now appears the days of the band's dub-inspired classic Vanishing Point or the electronic-tainted garage angle taken on the brilliant XTRMNTR and Evil Heat releases are long gone.

For some bizarre reason Dolls sees Bobby Gillespie and friends resorting to the Rolling Stones imitation of their earlier material. Sure the track is well-written, but music like this has been around for 40 years now and the originators do an even better job.

The song is a paint-by-numbers retro rock piece; bluesy riffs are joined by handclaps and a stomping glam beat. Not even the narrative words of Kills vocalist Alison 'VV' Mosshart can save face at the close of the song.

Dolls is a dissapointing release to say the least. The single is neither relevant or interesting to warrant a second listen. Hopefully the group's recent chart success won't sway this direction for much longer.