Anomie & Bonhomie

Studio album by Scritti Politti

Released

July 1999

Recorded

1997–1998

Genre

Synthpop, hip hop, hard rock, grunge, ambient

Length

49:27

Label

Virgin (UK)
Warner Bros. (US)

Producer

David Gamson

Scritti Politti chronology

Provision
(1988)

Amonie & Bonhomie
(1999)

Early
(2005)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
NME

Anomie & Bonhomie is the fourth album by the British group Scritti Politti, release in 1999. The album marks a sharp departure from their previous synthpop era and features contributions from rappers Mos Def and Me'Shell Ndegeocello.

Anomie & Bonhomie was generally well received by critics, however, opinions regarding the reinvention of Scritti Politti's sound through its mixture with contemporary genres and vocal styles such as grunge and hip-hop, respectively, were both praised and denounced by critics.

Allmusic said that of the contemporary "updates" that "rapper cameos, vague house beats, grunge guitars -- sound as if they're pasted over backing tracks from 1986. Not necessarily a bad thing, but disconcerting, since the heart of this album is squarely in Cupid & Psyche 85 territory." Ultimately they conclude: "Anomie & Bonhomie [...] remains faithful to the sophsti-pop aesthetic the band pioneered in the mid-'80s."

NME stated that Gartside successfully takes influences from contemporary genres such as grunge and hip-hop and "hammers" them into the Scritti aesthetic, concluding, "Gartside has returned with an album as glossy, eccentric and beguiling as he's ever made"

The Independent were more critical, claiming that Anomie & Bonhomie has an "uneasy alliance between hard rock, hip-hop and ambient", that the album "comes waving a big sign announcing its sophistication, but, for all the care and polish taken in its execution, it lacks the easy, relaxed air that sustains the truly sophisticated."

All tracks composed by Green Gartside and David Gamson

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Wikipedia