The second album from Essex boys Dan le Sac and Scroobius Pip is a similar blend of hip-hop, electronica and techno to their 2008 debut. Just like that album, however, there's far too much pointless filler and not enough dazzling hooks.
Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip swaggered onto the scene in 2008 with a catchy tune called 'Thou Shalt Always Kill', and a headstrong brew of street-smart beats and urban poetry. Their debut album 'Angles' failed to replicate the success of that single, however; sustaining interest across twelve tracks proved difficult, despite their eclectic style.
Their second album sees the beats man (Dan le Sac) and his rapping partner try again for an album with staying power, but 'The Logic of Chance' is another wasted opportunity. The rapper is certainly capable of a razor-sharp couplet, but all too often does he fall into the trap of pontificating (sometimes facetiously, which almost makes it worse) on the obvious subjects of youth/crime/politics/religion. The result is an album that sounds overly amateur in parts, not least because of le Sac's penchant for mid-'90s drum 'n' bass beats that sound like something The Shamen discarded.
That said, there are one or two adequately catchy tunes here, too. The laidback style yet vigorous drum pattern of 'Five Minutes' compliments Pip's steady vocal stream brilliantly, while 'Inert Explosions' takes a more traditional hip-hop stance, not sullying its rhythm with naff trance riffs ('The Beat'), terrible female backing vocals ('Cauliflower') or ill-advisedly borrowing lines from Amy Winehouse songs ('Last Train Home'). It's been done before, and done better – and to make matters worse, there isn't even a single of 'Thou Shalt Always Kill''s pedigree. Avoid.
