Two Words, One Answer.
Basement Jaxx
 Kish Kash $18.98 I use this album as a touchstone for other Basement Jaxx works since I am new to listening to them. I probaby say "touchstone" because "Kish Kash" seems to glue their entire catalog together with an eclectic mix of all-over-the-board ingenuity and verve. I saw them a few years back during an outdoor Summer concert in Downtown LA and they joined Beck and Red Kross as the most vibrant and exciting acts. Little by little I acquired some albums, singles, etc. and remembered where I had seen the main singer for the Jaxx: there is a little street in London that connects Tottenham Court Road with Gordon Square at the University College London, and along the sidewalk, the college placed some images of luminary alumni, one of which was Felix (Buxton). If I recall correctly, he was looking at the photographer and held a vinyl disc in hand. Even at the time I was thinking that it was 'cool' to have a popular musician as a sort of fellow student. The album in my opinion is really really good. It contains everything from love, lust, hope and heartbreak on this, with the odd moral tale, (Cish Cash) if it can be called that. I think that artists mature when they get their hearts broken, and I certainly realize that "If I Ever Recover" is not a fan favorite based on cursory reading of reviews, but I can appreciate the pain--it's got to be tough to expose yourself like that--and Jaxx does it with class and raw emotion. "Cish Cash" is fantastic...dunno what else to say. It's the Punx foil for the other gems. "Good Luck" is brilliant and the single actually cleaned-up [see their Singles album] the song's ending, I think much for the better. "Living Room" is my favorite song on the album because it both shows the Jaxx' plunge into songwriting territory and manages an inadvertent tip-of-the-hat to the Violent Femmes with its smart, tough sensibility. "Right Here's the Spot" by Meshell Ndegeocello is also an instant funk masterpiece, and the edgy "Supersonic," "Lucky Star," and "Plug It In" show how this band has moved into its own territory. Since I'm new to this, Jaxx seem to me to be loudly confident without always knowing what they're doing, but trusting their instincts. They don't seem to want to overwork things, and in general that contributes to their success, but even here, I can't really pin them down. I look forward to each of their next works and would recommend this album for its freshness--it'll spin really well 100 years down the road--even 200 plus.  Remedy $16.98 This is a collection of house and downtempo tracks. There are about eight solid songs, which make for good listening but are nothing exceptional or even particularly memorable - in other words, you won't be humming any hooks the next day. My music collection could easily be without it. However, if you are able to snatch a used copy of this release on Amazon at $.50 as it appears now, it might be worth your money.  Scars $15.98 Not so good I expected. Older albums by Basement Jaxx were awesome, thise is only good... |
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