Categories : Electronica, Music Reviews.
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Rating: 2.5 / 5 Reviewer: Lukas Clark-Memler |
Basement Jaxx, the genre-fusing South Londoners, have been making bona fide party music since the beginning of the millennium. Yet as 2009 comes to an end, and we bid adieu to this decade, it seems rather probable that in turn we are also saying farewell to the Basement Jaxx we once knew. From 1999’s with Remedy to 2001’s Rooty, and then the titanic success of Kish Kash – which is still considered one of the best modern electronica albums ever – Basement Jaxx have produced hit after ubiquitous hit. But then here’s Scars, a messy, disarrayed album that proves the party to be well and truly over.
Once a dynamic duo eager to subvert the archetypes of the dance genre in favour of something distinct and exciting, they now sound generic and predictable. The overall lack of variety makes for a consistent albeit dull album, exacerbated by tracks that dissolve into each other, repeating themselves until they are indistinguishable and monotonous.
But you’ve got to give the boys some credit for assembling one of the most diverse group of collaborators imaginable. Electronica poster-girl Santigold, radio-favourite Sam Sparro and the one-and-only Yoko Ono, all feature on Scars. But these guest stars make it impossible for Basement Jaxx to establish themselves. The duo step back and allow the guests to do all the work. Are the boys really that lazy?
All good parties come to an end, no matter how long you postpone the inevitable. Scars represents the end of an era – after a decade of partying, it sounds like the boys need a break.
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