Taking you on an electro journey
One of the UK's finest dance acts returns with their fourth album, but does it live up to their very high standard?
Known for their classic anthems like 'Where's Your Head At', 'Good Luck' and 'Red Alert', plus many more, alongside a live show that those who have seen say is something special. The band's last CD release was a hits compilation, reminding us that Basement Jaxx have a back catalogue full of forgotten classics, now they're set to stamp their authority back onto dance floors everywhere.
The intro piece which opens the record, titled 'Intro', is a short, dramatic, orchestral track that would suit being a theme tune to a retro style action TV show. This leads into current single 'Hush Boy', which features all the traits of a Basement Jaxx record, yet fails to really grab the imagination in order to be considered one of their finest.
Although 'Hush Boy' is nothing more than Basement Jaxx by numbers, the rest of the record is as varied, interesting and creative as you'd expect, taking in electro pop, the traditional club floorfiller vibe, R n' B, old school, soul and late night chill-out music.
Tracks three, four and five capture the varied nature of the whole record perfectly. 'Zoomalude' is one of the album's shorter tracks, and is going down the soulful road. 'Take Me Back To Your House' is a melodic dance track with a radio friendly pop edge to it, if this isn't a single I'll be stunned!
'Hey You' is one of the tracks that will appeal to the more club focused fan. Still a straight down the line song rather than relying on samples or one line vocal loops, I can hear the trance remix just bursting to be created.
'Crazy Itch Radio' takes a more ambient turn with 'Smoke Bubbles' and 'Lights Go Down'. The former has an urban edge to it but still retains the Basement Jaxx class, the latter could well become a massive chill-out anthem for future summers.
Basement Jaxx have another list of interesting collaborators for this new album, David Cassidy and Grace Jones are among those lending their voices for this record.
If you can appreciate a wide range of electronic music, don't mind a bit of hip-hop or R n' B influences sneaking through, and have a liking for classic dance then this album should be to your taste. My criticism is that there is a risk that this could be a little too mixed for some, and as has been demonstrated by the first single, some of the tracks don't have the same catchiness that we've become used to with previous albums, or am I just being dazzled by the unrelenting class of the singles collection?
At this point I can't see this becoming a modern-day classic, however it will surely sell by the truck load and rightly so, as Basement Jaxx have come up with a record that once again showcases them as one of our most important dance music creators.