CD reviews

BLK JKS

Mystery EP
(Secretly Canadian)
5.3

Goes well with: TV on the Radio, Ladysmith Black Mambazo

There are plenty of reasons why BLK JKS should be cool. They’re South African. They rock. They’re on the same label as Antony & The Johnsons. They’re fashionable. They’ve got critics in a twitter over their unclassifiable mix of Western and Johannesburg styles. I mean, they’re fronted by a dude named Linda, for God’s sake.

But all of that just doesn’t quite add up.

Yet.

Red-hot DJ and producer Diplo (M.I.A, Santigold) first put BLK JKS in the spotlight by securing the band some U.S. dates after seeing them on a South African tour. Subsequently, at the invitation of Secret Machines’ Brandon Curtis, they re-recorded this four-track EP at Electric Ladyland Studios in New York.

The result is one hot mess, varying from sure signs of potential to derivativeness bordering on copyright infringement.

Their fusion of dub, rock, psychedelic and African rhythms may bode well for their future, but the first track, “Lakeside,” thoroughly rips off TV on the Radio down to Tunde Adeimpe’s trademark ooooohs.

Art-rock will be the temporary designation for this wall-of-sound quartet, and, for now, that reads as “not quite ready for a full-length.” But, like a prizefighter judged on his sparring, they deserve to have everyone reserve judgment until they’ve had a fair shot at the title.

Superdrag

Industry Giants
(Superdrag Sound Laboratories/Thirty Tigers)
7.8

Goes well with: Hüsker Dü, Nada Surf, Descendents

When Superdrag head honcho John Davis found God and pulled the plug on the band after 2002’s Last Call For Vitriol, it looked as though the good book Superdrag had found it’s definitive ending. But, alas, that was just the Old Testament. Enter 2009: After a successful run of reunion shows in 2007, the original lineup decided to record a full-length. The New Testament of Superdrag has begun.

And with this new era comes a surprisingly high level of intensity. Industry Giants may not be the band’s best album, but it is by far its heaviest. The opening track “Slow to Anger” springs with the vigor of Hüsker Dü’s epic New Day Rising; meanwhile, the last four songs on the disc veer more toward hardcore than the Beatles-esque rock that defined Superdrag’s ’90s output. A couple spots on the disc hint at the early days, such as the stunning “Live and Breathe” and “Try,” which both recall the grandiosity the band achieved on its sophomore album, Head Trip in Every Key.

If you’re a fan, and you prefer The Shins to Sex Pistols, you may want to proceed with caution. Even though Davis’ voice still shines above all, this is certainly a grittier ’Drag than version 1.0.

The Faraway Places

Out of the Rain, the Thunder and the Lightning
(Save It Records)
6.1

Goes well with: Apples in Stereo, Elf Power, New Pornographers

With eight band members, The Faraway Places aren’t as densely populated as the behemoth Polyphonic Spree, but they’re certainly a gaggle of Fraggles. And when this many musicians conspire to make rock music, the results can often get mangled, invoking the ol’ “too many cooks in the kitchen” cliché. While this disc does have its bright spots, in the end it suffers from sounding like the product of a handful of bands as opposed to one.

And speaking of group participation, this album is drenched in the communal-living vibe that defined many of the early Elephant Six efforts. In short, it sounds like indie rock made by hippie kids, which isn’t a bad deal on several songs (“The Sun Goes West,” “Still Be There”). But after awhile, it becomes saccharine overload.

That also explains why the darker “Run While True” is such a highlight. It seems like all the band members were tripping over themselves to pen the best upbeat song on the album, and in the end, it was the downer that took the gold. Who wants to hear an album full of “Shiny Happy People” during this harsh, wintry, economic climate, anyway?