Ever since Bobby Gillespie christened one of their songs 'Bomb The Pentagon', one month before someone took him up on the suggestion, Primal Scream's reputation as political sages has been under a bit of a cloud. Hardly a coincidence, then, that their new album sees them dropping the simplistic slogans in favour of what they're really good at, i.e. visceral guitar rock and distorted electronica. Evil Heat certainly isn't lacking in star quality - vocal contributions come from Jim Reid, Robert Plant and, bizarrely enough, supermodel Kate Moss, while Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine is also on board as guest producer. None of this can disguise the fact, however, that Evil Heat is disappointingly short on memorable songs. There's the odd inspired indie-dance crossover moment, it's true, but all too often Gillespie and co lapse back into the sub-Rolling Stones homages they always seem to rely on when inspiration falls low. Evil Heat isn't a disaster by any means. But by the impeccably high standards Primal Scream have always set themselves, it can't help but feel distinctly underwhelming.
