You could have split this EP into two separate releases and no one would have felt short changed. It feels as if the highs and lows of a two hour DJ set have been condensed into Input Output I Don’t Know Yet, as Curd takes us on a well co-ordinated journey through a number of different emotions.
He starts off with the relaxed-sounding Left The Ground, which is a great set starter. Ziggy Franklin’s languid vocal is accompanied by a piano riff straight out of the early 90s, but in the best possible way. Not euphoric, just comfortable.
A Friend is slightly more intense, and starts off in a similar vein to the quite splendid David August/Diynamic stuff of recent times, where a slightly altered bass guitar fills a surprising amount of space and takes the lead in a way that Peter Hook would be proud of. In keeping with the release as a whole, it hints at something a bit more tragic than a lot of what Curd has done in the past, but even in the face of tragedy, Curd still finds time for his trademark comical brass. Despite the unlikely combination of comical brass and meaningful vocal, it works very well – it’s a memorable track.
I Don’t Really Care carries on with the down and out male vocal theme, as the title suggests. Again, this exists well in the context of the previous track, with a slight increase in momentum prompted by an earthy, electronic bass.
Peak time arrives courtesy of Shake Shake – sounds more like old fashioned James Curd to me: fast, furious, and guess what, brass. A great sax lead causes absolute carnage, but even without it, the track still has a great brashness.
Aside from Shake Shake, it’s as if we’ve caught James Curd in the throes of a mid life crisis, but a very entertaining one. There’s still the option to dance at peak time with your Greenskeepers hat on, but there’s also an appropriately twisted feeling for when the drugs wear off.