- Artists:
- Basement Jaxx »
- Label:
- XL Recordings »
Basement Jaxx albums have always been eclectic affairs; a bit of ragga, a bit of pop, the energy of punk - combined elements that made the band so initially exciting.
Sadly, the correct tense is 'made', because their latest offering 'Kish Kash', whilst still suitably eclectic, struggles to offer the same level of excitement that previous Jaxx albums provided.
It starts off well: 'Good Luck' has all the elements of a classic track by the Brixton duo, containing lurching basslines and stabbing synths, with the newly added element of strings; an ingredient that usually screams ‘pretentiousness' but in the Jaxx's hands proves otherwise. 'Right Here's the Spot' too, is stormingly typical of them, and is a song that could've sat easily on previous album 'Remedy'. Throw in single 'Lucky Star', (the album's highlight) which is five minutes of Arabic techno rap mayhem and it's so far so good. After that, however, things go somewhat awry. Both 'Supersonic' and 'If I Ever Recover' are dreary fillers, comprising of four-four beats and grating vocals, whilst 'Hot and Cold' sees Felix Buxton take on vocal duties to create what's akin to a badly mangled Prince number...
There are a few more glimmers of an upturn in the shape of 'Tonight' and 'Cish Cash', but those aside, 'Kish Kash' is only half a good album, and at this stage in their career, Basement Jaxx really needed to deliver a classic album.
Re: basement jaxx
And surely complaining about 4/4 beats in a Jaxx review is like writing about the White Stripes and complaining about the guitars - ie missing the point.
Hot and Cold is a bit lame though - worst thing on the album by a mile, everything else is pretty much classic though (and you don't even MENTION 'Plug It In')!



Basement Jaxx
The Cribs - In the Belly of the Brazen Bull
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (remastered)
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything (remastered)
Actress - R.I.P.
Chromatics - Kill for Love
Death Grips - The Money Store
In Photos: The Great Escape 2012 in Brighton
In Photos: The Crookes & Hey Sholay @ The Harley, Sheffield
In Photos: Clock Opera @ The Scala, London
In Photos: DiS Presents I Like Trains @ Soup Kitchen, Manchester
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