Album Review: End Titles: Stories For Film by UNKLE

Not quite the fourth proper UNKLE full-length, End Titles...Stories for Film is a collection of tracks taken from the shelf (or elsewhere) after the completion of War Stories in 2007. Since UNKLE were abundantly busy during that short span of time, the album certainly has the potential for greatness. It includes several pieces of soundtrack work from Odyssey in Rome (a documentary that focused on director Abel Ferrara and the making of his film Mary) as well as UNKLE's BMW advert hit "Trouble in Paradise (Variations on a Theme)." But End Titles...Stories for Film wears the signs of its creation poorly, unlike the quite-good odds'n'sods collection More Stories, which despite its high quality was released only in Australia.

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Not the new UNKLE album then, but a collection of music recorded since the band finished War Stories two years ago. End Titles comprises their music for TV and film projects, with 10 of the tracks taken from a documentary about cult film director Abel Ferrara. Like their subjects' movies, the mood is sombre. After working with DJ Shadow and then Richard File, UNKLE mainstay James Lavelle is now in cahoots with Pablo Clements of the Psychonauts, though the shift from trip-hop to widescreen stoner rock made on War Stories is still holding firm.

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11 Eine Kleine Nacht Muzik, Eine Kleine Nacht Muzik (Modular)4 stars Henry Smithson first appeared as solo artist Riton on Manchester's Grand Central Records with his futuristic 'basement soul' debut Beats Du Jour. The young Geordie (he's been around for a few years now, but still looks about 12) then reinvented himself and Riton became a trio of London fashionistas (with Luca Santucci from Playgroup and Lee Jones from Howdi) for 2004's Homies and Homos. The latter were a minor hit at festivals with their engaging stage show, but never really crossed over to a wider audience.

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