Back in the 90's Herbert helped invent micro-house with the amazing 'Around the House', and over the years his quirky recording techniques and his originality manifesto have had as much publicity as the man himself. But last year we saw a decided change from Herbert, on one hand he released his most political attack on U.S imperialism and on the other he helped Moloko diva Roisin Murphy with her fantastic jazzy debut, Ruby Blue. Scale feels like an amulgamation of all Herberts past efforts: it's highly political, fantastically strangely recorded, subverted house grooves with a lesson in conventional song structures learnt from Ruby Blue, a touch of Big Band and STRINGS. Which equates to a welcome pop gem from one of house's few true innovators. One of 2006's best.

To the reviewer who makes reference to house music, PLEEEEEEEEAZE learn your genres and don't insult house music with trying to even slightly compare this to house!!! Yep, I can see why some of you have taken some interest in this CD. We seem to be in a world now where so much music is repetitive and derivitive( the lazy artists are out there, regardless of genre- yes, there are some in house music too!). Herbert does spark the odd interesting sound here and there- but that hardly makes for complete, well rounded and great music. To me this is your typical self indulgent experimental electronica that just doesn't make it. I'm not a regular reviewer, but after hearing this CD and then seeing it compared to house, I had to write- for the sake of fellow house lovers! Please brothers, don't be lead astray by the review of a person who thinks they know house(and surely must be deaf). This CD won't come close for those who love the pulse, rhythm and soul of true house music.

I had read the reviews of this album and picked it up on the strength of the positive comments, but I was shocked at how terrible this album was. Understanding Herbert's classical piano background, I expected a deep and nuanced interpretation of house that could combine interesting danceable beats with a solid 4x4 backbone, but some rhythmic variation and interesting found sounds from the claims of so many odd samples used. The first thing that put me off was the terrible vocals, which combine the cheesy and trite lyrical stylings of the worst diva-house with the shallow wording of your local folk music open mic. The rhythms were also boring, none of the more interesting layering ontop of the standard house beat, but a very shallow and superficial interpretation you would expect to find on a Casio keyboard.

Stay away!

for a field of music that is based on repetitive structures and 4/4 beats, this album is a bright ray of sunshine...

it is sunny, sexy, pop-perfect danceable music. it is essentially house, though i heard it referred to as "left-field house" and i think that is a perfect description. lots of movie style string swells, a nice dose of big band steez, jazzy and funky dollops of happiness and a great female singer enhance this cd from being house music to, well, left field house....house that comes at you from your peripheral vision, that becomes part of the environment around you....it is very organic, very danceable (i said that already) and very very fun....

i didnt give it a 5 cuz the first half contains most of the power, but i labeled it 5 because of the amount of boring tepid dance music that exists these days, and herbert seems to be ahead of the curve on creativity in such a stagnant dance music scene and deserves to be recognized for such. the whole thing is growing on me like moss. fuzzy, green moss

this is a great album to have drop right at the beginning of summer. so you can be sure to listen to it with the windows open, with the top down, on the grass, smokin grass, in da club (haha! just kiddin, but not really) and you will boogie, boogie, boogie, til you just cant boogie no more...

EDIT: I have to add, because it is not apparent in the review above...The second half of this album is really not house at all. It is very dowtempo, some of the songs contain very nice arrangments, but ultimately lack the dancy punch of the first four tracks, which are great for any late night...

I heard a few tracks from the Matthew Herbert Big Band... which I liked... but this CD is amazing. So amazing, I've never bothered to write a review for amazon before, but this album motivated me to do so for the first time.

Combining mainstream, dance-based electronic beats with experimental jazz-fusion and politically conceptual music, this CD is both toe-tapping and thought-provoking... a rich album full of great melodies which sound like no one else I've ever quite heard before.