David Holmes / Let's Get Killed by Todd Pontius 1500 Records The premise of Let's Get Killed is this: Belfast-based B-boy moves to Brooklyn, sees the sights, hangs out with the locals, and makes a record based on his experiences. The title suggests famed trumpeter/heroin addict Chet Baker's tour film Let's Get Lost, and seems to be constructed as if it were a score for a film that never was. Contemporary pop music often lends itself to this cinematic approach: Barry Adamson did it with Moss Side Story, and promotional films were made to accompany Portishead songs. The works of Lalo Schifrin, Henry Mancini, and Ennio Morricone, all filmic composers from the fifties and sixties, have found new audiences in the digital age. Musicians as disparate as Cibo Matto, DJ Shadow, and the Beastie Boys now make music in a similar manner. In David Holmes' case, the strings are electronic, the drums are sampled, and the vocals are voices overheard on the streets of some of New York's worst neighborhoods. If Let's Get Killed ever became a movie, the producers would be wise to get Scorsese to direct. During his stay in the U.S., Holmes recorded conversations with the musicians, hustlers, street people, and drug addicts whom he met on the streets. Sampled and played back, these encounters serve as thematic centerpieces for the tracks on the album. These soundbites sound so close as to be almost overheard; a chilling effect, as most are laced with obscenities and threats of violence. On the mostly drum-based album this dramatic approach to songwriting keeps things fresh and vibrant, as Holmes jumps from scene to scene. Further, Holmes changes genre again and again, cutting from sleazy jazz to furious breakbeats to melodica-tinged dub. Holmes even does Moby one better by tweaking and twisting the James Bond theme in "Radio 7"." Holmes is a talented DJ, quite capable on the sampler. The beats and samples work well together, and, musically, the record more or less works. Loosely strung together according to theme, the music might be something you hear in your head while walking through a tough New York neighborhood. The most interesting aspect of Let's Get Killed is the way in which Holmes' outsider status allows him a special vantage point on American culture. Ultimately, however, the record fails to live up to its potential. With Holmes' tools and talent he could have made a compelling document, a commentary on the variety and excitement of inner-city life in the 20th century. Instead, Let's Get Killed is a rather monochromatic recording, at times beguilingly smooth. If inner city life is as in-your-face as Holmes' friends would have us believe, this record often fails to reflect this vision. As a result, Let's Get Killed gets lost, melting into the background at those moments when it should be in your face.

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