Things to Make and Do

Things to Make and Do is the third album from the electronic/dance duo Moloko. It was issued in the UK in 2000 by Echo Records. Things to Make and Do was a departure sonically for Moloko, as the album featured songs relying less on electronics and more on live musicians. In addition to the change in musical styles, the album also featured lead singer Róisín Murphy using previously unheard technique in her vocals. At the time of its release, Murphy summed up her previous vocal style by saying "I was 19 when I made Tight Sweater, and I knew I was pretending, but if I tried not to, I’d still be pretending. Now, I know myself better.” [1]

After the release of Things To Make and Do, offers came in for Murphy to guest on others records, notably The Psychedelic Waltons, Boris D., and Handsome Boy Modelling School. The album held the Echo Label record as its fastest-selling platinum record in the UK, until this was beaten by Feeder's compilation The Singles six years later.

Singles and bonus tracks

The album's first single "The Time is Now" became Moloko's biggest hit, peaking at number two on the UK singles chart, prompting a number-three debut for Things to Make and Do in the UK.

Prior to the album's release, an unsolicited remix by Boris Dlugosch of the track "Sing It Back" (which had originally appeared in a sort of drum-and-bass incarnation on their previous album I Am Not a Doctor) became a club and mainstream hit. After storming Ibiza and Miami and popping up on scores of dance mix compilations, the Boris D. remix was tacked onto the end of Things to Make and Do as a bonus track.

Track listing

All songs written by Róisín Murphy and Mark Brydon, except where noted.

1. "Radio Moscow" (Eddie Stevens) - 0:25
2. "Pure Pleasure Seeker" - 6:31
3. "Absent Minded Friends" - 4:44
4. "Indigo" - 5:37
5. "Being Is Bewildering" - 4:06
6. "Remain the Same" - 3:40
7. "A Drop in the Ocean" - 1:58
8. "Dumb Inc." - 4:27
9. "The Time Is Now" - 5:18
10. "Mother" - 4:45
11. "It's Your Problem" (Brydon/Murphy/Stevens) - 1:07
12. "It's Nothing" - 5:13
13. "Bingo Massacre" (Brydon/Murphy/Stevens/Paul Slowley) - 0:25
14. "Somebody Somewhere" (Brydon/Murphy/Ashton Thomas/Dave Cooke) - 5:42
15. "Just You and Me Dancing" (Brydon/Murphy/Stevens/Paul Slowley) - 1:17
16. "If You Have a Cross to Bear You May as Well Use It as a Crutch" (Brydon/Murphy/Stevens/Paul Slowley) - 3:24
17. "Keep Stepping" (Brydon/Murphy/Stevens)
18. "Sing It Back (Boris' Musical Mix)" - 9:18

Singles

• "Sing It Back" (Boris' Musical Mix) (#4 UK)
• "The Time Is Now" (#2 UK)
• "Pure Pleasure Seeker" (#21 UK)
• "Indigo" (#51 UK)

References