The first song on Duck Rock is "Obatala," a slow fusion of African and Latin American styles played under 80s synthesized elevator music. It's long and boring but at least feels like a respectful tribute to those musical leanings. Track 2 "Buffalo Gals" is what Fatboy Slim might have made in 1983. Hearing this cheesy new-jack hip-hop after a slow fusion track nearly gave me whiplash. Then track 3 is an obnoxious reggae jam. I just can't pin down what Malcolm McLaren wants to do with this album.
Between every song is a scratchy radio play as if this album were a broadcast. Maybe McLaren was trying to emulate The Who Sell Out, which was a concept album played off as a pirate radio broadcast. There are a couple of tracks on Duck Rock that I don't mind and make for decent instrumentals. And in general I like it when artists expand out to explore different musical styles like McLaren does on Duck Rock. But for the most part the music he comes up with is pretty standard, repetitive, and doesn't feel very revolutionary. It also feels a bit disingenuous for McLaren's name to be plastered on the front of this when it's pretty clear a lot of the music and singing was done by others.
"Duck for the Oyster" comes out of nowhere to close Duck Rock with an insane hoedown. Suddenly I realize Duck Rock was not supposed to be about aquatic fowl, but about people who harvest oysters for a living... I guess. It makes no sense either way. 2 stars.
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