◎ 英国3人组合把玩Soul、Hip-Hop、Garage Rock、Breakbeat等乐风的惊豔处女专辑 ◎『Music Like Dirt是一张超乎想像，从开始到结束都让你惊喜的专辑』…All Music Guide网站 ◎ 推荐曲："Algebra"、"Turn Your Head Around"、"Psychedelic Soul"、"Numb In Both Lips" 2002年5月份发行首张处女大碟，而所有音乐相关媒体却已是通通给高评并和Badly Drawn Boy、Portishead、Buffalo Springfield、Fatboy Slim相提并论的乐团大概只有这个来自英国西南部的Essex郡，由三个年纪老大不小却又一副玩世不恭的怪傢伙组成的Soul Hooligan才办得到！ Austin Reynolds(Guitar、Bass、Programming)、Jim Sumner (Lead Vocal、 Harmonica)、Dave Jay(Vocoder、Backing Vocals)是三个年少时即为玩伴的怪ㄎㄚ，各个从小浸淫在各式各样的音乐型态中，每人都会数样乐器，Keyboard则是必备基本歀。 Austin和Dave在80年代末曾组了个吉他碎拍团加入Rave名厂Suburban Base旗下玩了一阵子，Jim则四处和人合作，曾待过在【楚门的世界】贡献一曲的Swing团Big 6裏担任键盘手。三人在整个90代裏玩遍了英国各大club，过了荒唐淫乐的十年舞场岁月，实力坚强饱读诗书的三位好汉组了「心灵游侠Soul Hooligan」，準备和大伙分享他们的音乐人生。 要怎么形容他们的首张专辑「Music Like Dirt」呢？什么音乐类型都有，Hip-Hop、Big-Beat、Dub、Soul、Blues、Garage Rock…简直涵盖了所有音乐光谱，完全无法归类！ 首支单曲"Algebra"从音乐到Video内容都摆明就是要和Gorillaz力拼的Alternative Rap，但绝对不会输；"Addicted"则立刻变成David Gray唱著Beck的曲调，三位游侠缅怀过去的荒唐岁月；"Turn Your Head Around"则又像Fatboy Slim把玩Big-Beat易如反掌；"Soul Searching"恍惚间Jim竟然变成唱电子的Bob Dylan，悲痛的诉说嗑药玩乐的生活让人变得麻木，是该寻找自我的时候了；"Numb In Both Lips"和"Stoop Kid"则是Old School Hip-Hop加些Funk；较特别的是翻唱了英国的北方灵魂老将Tony Allen的"Night Owl"；结尾两首忧鬱的Trip-Hop让一路惊喜的我们可以沈静一下，甚是好听，"Time Goes By"甚至加了些蓝调吉他在裏头！ Soul Hooligan势必会在英伦掀起一番风潮，单单听到有人能这样把玩音乐，创造出新音乐的多种可能性，真的就值得我们好好鼓掌，何况他们做音乐的态度更是自在到不行深深让人敬佩！ by Jason D. Taylor Soul Hooligan's ambitious debut album, Music Like Dirt, is a disc that adheres to no one style in assaulting the listener's senses with some of the most unusually styled combinations quite possibly ever mixed together. The band claims to be similar to the likes of Badly Drawn Boy, Portishead, Buffalo Springfield, and Fatboy Slim, and while all comparisons are quite accurate, you can just imagine what the end result must sound like. The album opens with "Algebra," which bears an uncanny resemblance to a similarly eclectic European group known as Gorillaz, yet relies more on the strengths of hip-hop then the moody rock the aforementioned band revolves around. The beats on this album help sustain it when the songs falter (as is the case on "Night Owl"), which allows for constant entertainment even for fans not accustomed to the big beat and soul styles presented among the more common radio-friendly alternative rock and electronica which invades many of Soul Hooligan's tunes. Honestly, Music Like Dirt is either hit or miss, as its daring attempt at always shifting from genre to genre through the course of one song can easily confuse a listener looking for more straightforward rock, yet this is also its greatest strength for those who look for something more inventive in their music. If nothing else, Music Like Dirt is an album that never slows down to become predictable, and has the ability to surprise you from start to finish. Artistic and unique, Soul Hooligan doesn't settle for average, pushing themselves to the limits to prove music can be adventurous if one really tries.