Jackson and His Computer Band - Smash
By: Tyler Watson | Category: Album Reviews | 10/05/05 | 11:10 PM
 |
 |
Grade: B- | Genre: Microhouse
Summary: Jackson And His Computer Band has made something here that reminds you of that one really friendly smart kid. You try to hate it/him, but in the end you know you're not kidding anybody.
I typically don't enjoy anything with the word "microhouse" attached. I'm scared of the glitchy nuances that compose music by the likes of Akufen and Michael Meyer. I can't pretend that Jackson Fourgeaud's music isn't microhouse, but I also can't pretend that I'm not pretty impressed with it. Whereas other microhouse songs just feel like they're trying to (in my opinion) force a funny-sounding barrage of brief vocal samples down your throat, Jackson And His Computer Band make songs that have a definite texture to them. Of course, some of them miss the mark, but the majority of the album is enough to convince me that if used for good, not evil, microhouse can be a pretty fun niche genre. |
Have many people in this world seen Tron? For your sake, I hope so. It beats out Star Wars and The Matrix for the best sci-fi movie ever made. Light cycles and deadly disc matches? Yes please. But don't think I'm making this highly debatable and bound-to-offend statement just for my own pleasure; because yes, I do enjoy aggravating people that I'll never meet (sup, readers). This Tron reference is going to tie in to the rest of the review. Watch this: Smash should have been the soundtrack for Tron. Boom. There you have it. The atmospheres that he's got going on behind the vocal samples would be perfect in a movie taking place inside 1980s computers. I just know that they would feel right accompanying the destruction of the Master Control Program. But for fear of turning this into a Tron promotion, I'm gonna move on.
The album kicks off with the stupidly awesome "Utopia" (Tron, I'm telling you!), which carries a bit of the un-danceable beats of label-mate Aphex Twin as well as the sonic texturing of Boards of Canada (label-mates as well). Then it's got that strange hallmark of microhouse, the split-second vocal samples crafted into nonsense lyrics. When done well, like in this song, it creates a totally unexpected effect. Instead of pissing me off and causing me to question the necessity of a certain subgenre, it soothes me. It's probably the mixture of sampled bits of vocals and the occasional full sentence "Have you really thought about/ Utopia?" that stops me from walking away. But even the songs based entirely around repeated glitches and samples work well on Mr. Fourgeaud's album. These aren't prominent here, thankfully; most of the songs feature full vocals or a real good low end to keep them on their feet. Bass isn't usually this good in microhouse. Much like Aphex Twin, he uses the uneven bass drum followed by quick successions of kicks that make you want to bob your head, even though you can't. (Think Aphex's "Window Licker" here). He's also used other really interesting instruments you wouldn't expect: "Rock On" has what sounds like a symphony tuning with the microhouse vocals played over it. It's a weird experience, trust, but dude makes it work. Another song that stuck out in my mind: "Fast Life". It starts off sounding like a forward-thinking Grandmaster Flash track, just begging for a freestyle, then throws some real awesome chanteuse into the mix and some keyboard work that fits perfectly.
So yeah, Jackson has crafted a good electronica album here that is probably pretty different than any other you've heard. For the most part, that's a good thing. It does wear a little bit thin at times, but look past these occasions and you've found yourself a nice catch. If this whole genre would follow this one guy, I'd stop hanging around the clubs beating up microhouse DJs. I'll leave you with that joke/ 100% serious ultimatum.
Release Date: October 4, 2005
Buy Jackson and his Computer Band's Smash now.
|
