The Prodigy - The Fat of the Land
XL
June 30th, 1997.
The Prodigy's third studio album 'The Fat of the Land' circles the sun for the 25th time in it's large, bombastic life. The sadistic sounds of the The Prodigy came fully immersed in punk-centric, devious scenery. The walls of an underground bunker have seen things you wouldn't believe - and so have these soundscapes. The walls eyes have been permanently ingrained with visions of sewer dwellers and all their mischievous manifestations.
The landscape of particular genres play out in wholly different ways without the efforts of a few acts - for better or for worse, who knows? The Prodigy play an essential role in the world of electronic dwellings - the coming together of punk ethos and big beat bravado tinted the electronic lens with industrial scaped smog and booming, cavernous - somewhat nihilistic - displays. Sound systems world wide haven't been the same since 'Smack My Bitch Up' and 'Breathe' breached their thresholds. Stretching the limits as to what constitutes to 'beats', The Fat of the Land furthers the facets of what reverberance really means - the incessant, unforgiving and unrelenting feel of being under the weight of the world. Crank it up and let your walls waterfall with residual dust. Oil stains are a hard one to remove from the memories of yesterday. The decaying landslide from where they came seems to grow by the day. Avoiding its inevitable crossover becomes harder with every second. Meet it halfway and incorporate it in some way; avoidance leads to resentment.
The Fat of the Land isn't the most technical release, nor is it home to the most proficient of structures or track lists. However, it exudes a spirit that many wouldn't capture if their lives depended upon it - literally. There aren't many acts that simultaneously speak to the rave heads, the rock heads and the hip-hop heads; The Prodigy's reach is near infinite. Major kudos to the Braintree collective. Many have been truly influenced by your willingness to act out your wants and needs in wholesome, fulfilling grandeur. The music world is forever in your debt.
RIP Keith Flint.
