After Robots

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:00:00
The '80s had GRACELAND, the '90s had Rusted Root, and the new millennium had Vampire Weekend, so at this point it should be no surprise when North American pop music embraces South African sensibilities. However, with BLK JKS' highly hyped debut, Afro-pop is presented in a different light. Instead of being a U.S.-minded album created with the help of African musicians, it's one created by African musicians. Instead of being a watered-down white take on tribal beats, it's a reversal: Africans staking their claim on indie rock. Like Mars Volta and TV on the Radio, the songs on BLK JKS' debut, AFTER ROBOTS, are made up of shifting soundcapes rather than a linear progression. More often than not, these reverberated parts (enhanced by producer Brandon Curtis) whirlwind away into a free-form jam full of horn blasts provided by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble or circular Santana-esque guitar runs. They fit into the indie rock genre about as loosely as Bad Brains fit the hardcore punk stereotype or Living Colour fit in the hair metal mold. Who cares? Pigeonholing is futile, this is simply solid music.