Mohombi – Universe

“A party track with pretty much everything, really”

Tim: I know we’re back to Monday, but let’s have a party track. The here, to be specific, the title track off Mohombi’s second album, which was released back in July.

Tim: A party track with pretty much everything, really, from the strings with attitude right through to the bagpipes (or at least the synth line that sounds like bagpipes), because why not?

Tom: It really does pay off in the last chorus, doesn’t it? It took a long time to get there, though.

Tim: And to be honest, before hearing this if you’d said to me “Tim, here’s a party track that’s improved by the existence of bagpipes,” I’d have sensibly told you to do one (whilst admittedly enjoying DJ Sakin’s Braveheart rework). But here, the bagpipes work.

Tom: I’m not sure how you forgot Dario G’s Carnaval de Paris, notable for using both accordion and bagpipes and still, astonishingly, being really good.

Tim: Oh. No, I’m not sure either. Though working here it might partly be that they only occasionally take centre stage, often being drowned out by everything else that’s going on in the chorus, or it might— actually, I’m going to interrupt myself, because that chorus: what a chorus it is. And what a pre-chorus. And, indeed, everything else about this track, because it’s just brilliant, really.

Tom: I’m going to pull the reins back just a little here, and say: it’s okay. I just don’t see where you’re getting the astonishment from, though; but then, it was the other way round on Friday with Sharks. It’s almost like music opinions are subjective, or something.

Tim: Who’d have thought it?