Anomie & Bonhomie

Amonie & Bonhomie
Studio album by Scritti Politti
Released	July 1999
Recorded	1997–1998
Genre	Synthpop, hip hop, hard rock, grunge, ambient
Length	49:27
Label	Virgin (UK) Warner Bros. (US)
Producer	David Gamson
Scritti Politti chronology
Provision (1988) Amonie & Bonhomie (1999) White Bread Black Beer (2006)

Anomie & Bonhomie is the fourth album by the British group Scritti Politti, release in 1999.^[1] The album marks a sharp departure from their previous synthpop era and features contributions from rappers Mos Def and Me'Shell Ndegeocello.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
NME	[3]

Anomie & Bonhomie was generally well received by critics, however, opinions regarding the reinvention of Scritti Politti's sound through its mixture with contemporary genres and vocal styles such as grunge and hip-hop, respectively, were both praised and denounced by critics.

Allmusic said that of the contemporary "updates" that "rapper cameos, vague house beats, grunge guitars -- sound as if they're pasted over backing tracks from 1986. Not necessarily a bad thing, but disconcerting, since the heart of this album is squarely in Cupid & Psyche 85 territory." Ultimately they conclude: "Anomie & Bonhomie [...] remains faithful to the sophsti-pop aesthetic the band pioneered in the mid-'80s." ^[4]

NME stated that Gartside successfully takes influences from contemporary genres such as grunge and hip-hop and "hammers" them into the Scritti aesthetic, concluding, "Gartside has returned with an album as glossy, eccentric and beguiling as he's ever made" ^[5]

The Independent were more critical, claiming that Anomie & Bonhomie has an "uneasy alliance between hard rock, hip-hop and ambient", that the album "comes waving a big sign announcing its sophistication, but, for all the care and polish taken in its execution, it lacks the easy, relaxed air that sustains the truly sophisticated." ^[6]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Green Gartside and David Gamson

1. "Umm"
2. "Tinseltown to the Boogiedown"
3. "First Goodbye"
4. "Die Alone"
5. "Mystic Handyman"
6. "Smith 'n' Slappy"
7. "Born To Be"
8. "The World You Understand (Is Over + Over + Over)"
9. "Here Come July"
10. "Prince Among Men"
11. "Brushed With Oil, Dusted With Powder"

Personnel

• Green Gartside - vocals, guitar, arrangements, artwork
• Allen Cato, Wendy Melvoin - guitar
• Me'Shell NdegéOcello - bass, vocals
• David Gamson, David Dyson, Vere Isaacs - bass
• Abe Laboriel, Jr. - drums
• Jimahl, Lee Majors, Mos Def, Red Cloud - vocals
• Paul Riser, Steve Pigott - string arrangements

References