Eclectic: 5 Billion In Diamonds debut ranges from U2 unplugged to Kraftwerk
Rick Pearson11 August 2017
5 Billion in Diamonds is the new band from Butch Vig, former drummer in Garbage and producer of Nirvana’s Nevermind. Completing the line-up are two Brits — DJ James Grillo and producer Andy Jenks — alongside umpteen guest vocalists.
As you might expect from an album written as a soundtrack to an imaginary film, these tracks are heavy on atmospherics.
Broken Wings starts as U2 unplugged and ends up as Kraftwerk. Travelling in Time is one part folk, one part psychedelia and all parts wonderful.
However, while the instrumentation and production are always top-notch (would you expect anything less from Vig?), the lyrics and vocal melodies regularly let the album down.
There’s plenty of sparkle here but not many great songs.
