Trip-Hop Thursdays: Morcheeba

The follow-up, 1998′s Big Calm, moved slightly away from trip-hop towards a more pop-orientated, song-based sound. This was exemplified by the band’s remaking of “Moog Island” (a song from the previous album) in a more summery, upbeat style, with the new title of “The Music That We Hear”. One of the album’s singles, “The Sea”, became a hit and a radio favourite. The album proved to be a big seller and ensured Morcheeba’s success as a breakthrough act. The degree and nature of Big Calms popularity sometimes appeared to subsequently irritate the Godfrey brothers, who would protest at what they saw as being classified as “coffee-table music”.
In 2000, Morcheeba released their third album Fragments of Freedom. This repeated the sales success of Big Calm but received a less positive critical response. The band’s sound continued to move away from their trip-hop roots and to get closer to pop.

The band’s fourth album, Charango was released in 2002 and spawned several singles including “Otherwise”, “Way Beyond” and “Undress Me Now” (the release of the latter was cancelled, despite the creation and release of an expensive, erotic Balinese-inspired CGI video)[citation needed]. In an indication of what would follow, several tracks on the album did not feature Skye Edwards and were instead written with and sung by Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner or by rappers Pace Won and Slick Rick.

In 2003, the Godfrey brothers dismissed Skye Edwards from Morcheeba, citing musical (and some personal) differences. A greatest hits compilation, Parts of the Process, helped to sustain momentum and featured two new tracks – “What’s Your Name” (featuring a rapping cameo from Big Daddy Kane) and “I Can’t Stand It”. At around the same time, Morcheeba released the live DVD Morcheeba: From Brixton To Beijing

In 2005 Morcheeba released their fifth studio (and first post-Skye Edwards) album, The Antidote. Daisy Martey (formerly of the band Noonday Underground) was recruited to replace Edwards as the album vocalist. The Antidote featured a new change in direction, drawing from 1960s folk-pop. However, Martey’s period with the band was brief and she was sacked in the middle of the promotional tour, to be replaced by Jody Sternberg. Sternberg’s own tenure with the band was similarly brief, and she only appears to have been part of the band to fulfil tour dates. Martey would later complain that she had been treated callously, and would also announce that she was taking legal action against Paul Godfrey on grounds of sexual harrassment.

After a break of several years, Morcheeba released their sixth studio album, Dive Deep in February 2008. On this album, the Godfrey brothers emphasised their role as producers creating a set of instrumental tracks entirely sung by a roster of guest performers – cult folk-rock singer Judie Tzuke, Norwegian singer-songwriter and former Jaga Jazzist collaborator Thomas Dybdahl, blues singer/guitarist Bradley Burgess, Korean-American rapperCool Calm Pete, and French singer Manda.) Both Manda and Burgess toured with Morcheeba as lead singers on their 2008 tour.