When We Were Young [Bonus Track]

• Artist: Dusted
• Rating:
• Release Date: July 10, 2001
• Genre: Electronica

Review

Dusted is the collaborative idea of ambient mixmaster/producer Rollo (Dido's brother) and producer Mark Bates, and marks the first fully conceptual "downtempo/chill-out album." When We Were Young is a collection of tracks that map themselves around the territory that is childhood, obviously, but more importantly around its emotional states. Like a thinking person's Delerium -- with a whole hell of a lot more imagination and ambition in the production area -- Dusted uses the caustic groove of nostalgia and memory, with slipped beats, elegiac bass, a silvery guitar, and a swamp ring of keyboards creating a manifest destiny backdrop for singers Luke Garwood and Rachael Brown to take the listener deeper into a world where the light almost never shines (one casual listen to "Hurt U" is enough to send you back to where you came from). The world revealed on When We Were Young is one of hurt, disappointment, betrayal, and a longing that seems to get larger with every drum loop. From the first single, "Always Remember to Respect Your Mother, Pt. 1" (co-written by Dido, as was "Winter"), through to "The Oscar Song" and "If I Had a Child," the atmosphere is one of innocence lost and longed after, even with its tragic memories. Musically, there is everything from a digital-era Pink Floyd to Björk to Ultramarine and Peter Gabriel. Although the very thought of an ambient/chill-out concept record about the downside of childhood reeks of pretension, the careful and subtle manner with which these tunes are presented makes When We Were Young not only thought provoking, but seductive to listen to as well. For all of its ethereal excesses, there is solid construction and careful consideration given to nuances that would be lost on others who would attempt such a project. When We Were Young is certainly worth the time and effort it takes to procure a copy. The reason? Simple, while it may echo many different things out there, it sounds like nothing but itself -- and that's an accomplishment in itself. [The re-release adds an untitled song to the end.] ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Childhood	Rollo, Mark Bates	Dusted	(5:29)
Time Takes Time	Mark Bates	Dusted	(5:41)
Want U	Rollo, Mark Bates	Dusted	(6:49)
Hurt U	Rollo, Mark Bates	Dusted	(1:46)
If You Go Down to the Woods	Rollo, Mark Bates	Dusted	(3:17)
Always Remember to Respect Your Mother, Pt. 1	Dido, Rollo, Mark Bates	Dusted	(3:45)
The Biggest Fool in the World	Dido, Rollo, Mark Bates	Dusted	(6:47)
Oh, How Sweet	Rollo, Mark Bates	Dusted	(5:00)
Always Remember to Respect Your Mother, Pt. 2	Rollo, Mark Bates, Matt Benbrook	Dusted	(4:05)
Winter	Dido, Rollo, Mark Bates	Dusted	(4:33)
The Oscar Song	Rollo, Mark Bates, Luke Garwood	Dusted	(2:11)
Under the Sun	Mark Bates, Rachael Brown	Dusted	(5:36)
If I Had a Child	Rollo, Mark Bates, Luke Garwood	Dusted	(3:38)
[Untitled Track]		Dusted	(6:35)

Credits

Simon Cotsworth (Compilation), Alan Young (Choir, Chorus), Rollo (Programming), Rollo (Producer), Mandy Parnell (Mastering), Mark Bates (Keyboards), Mark Bates (Programming), Mark Bates (Producer), Grippa (Engineer), Matt Benbrook (Programming), Matt Benbrook (Producer), Rachael Brown (Vocals), Dusted (Main Performer)