New Basement Jaxx

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track 7 - 'plug it in' - is scorching..

― ovets, Sunday, 31 August 2003 18:02 (twenty years ago) link

Friday afternoon - download 'Kish Kash' album from Toby...

Sunday afternoon - burn 'Kish kash' to CD, go to XFM studios, hand CD to James Hyman and Eddy Temple-Morris who haven't got it yet and order them to play Track 04 - 'Lucky Star' subsequently blasted out on radio for an extremely naughty exclusive (actually it wasn't cos Pete Tong got there first Friday night on Radio 1 but still, internet power in effect)

― stevem (blueski), Sunday, 31 August 2003 22:05 (twenty years ago) link

tim, if you don't wanna wait the week drop me a line: will land mail it for tomorrow!

― gaz (gaz), Sunday, 31 August 2003 22:14 (twenty years ago) link

before i listened to this, i was thinking of how bland it is that everyone always gives album of year to basement jaxx, because it is so easy to do for most rock critics instead of actually, ya know, listening to a lot of techno albums before making the choice.

i am listening to it now and i feel like an idiot for ever doubting!!!
"feels like home" is very beautiful... this album is making me feel excited in the same way that techno originally did years ago. i think this is a good time to be alive!

i got my copy from mr strongo... thanks!

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Sunday, 31 August 2003 22:18 (twenty years ago) link

the 'Lucky Star' video MUST be directed by Dawn Shadforth and feature Dizzee and horde of zombies in semi-pastiche of 'Thriller'

― stevem (blueski), Sunday, 31 August 2003 22:21 (twenty years ago) link

i dont hear this record as being overly complex or dense as compared to the other records... they always have little tricks buried in there... remember the snarling cat in "rendez-vous?"

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Sunday, 31 August 2003 22:48 (twenty years ago) link

it needs to be said again. strongo and stevem, when you guys dip yourselves in chrome, i'll be there cheering.

― vahid (vahid), Sunday, 31 August 2003 23:54 (twenty years ago) link

more likely encased in carbonite...

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 1 September 2003 00:19 (twenty years ago) link

i am gutted that Tong got to play it on radio first, i was really hoping we had a coup there

reasons to love 'Lucky Star' no. 6478: the prominent use of the 'round and round and round we go' line - classic hip-hop standard self-reference done great, and subtler reference to 'fix up look sharp' with the 'look up look down!' bit

but that 'Right Here's The Spot' chorus is REALLY doing it for me now also. and 'Supersonic' is a lovely bouncy house track with a great feelgood vibe - doesn't sound pointless to me, and no less worthy than 'Plug It In' which is the only track i've heard so far that i felt may be over-long

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 1 September 2003 01:08 (twenty years ago) link

OK, so I'm downloading select tracks from the venerable Mr Stevem (for it is He) using a rather shaky 56k connection. I've got "Lucky Star" (initial response: "Waaaaah") and I'm getting the Chasez track, but the lack of speed in getting the others and the two months I have to wait for the album leads me to worry that I'll wear out the tracks I've downloaded. I must have played "Lucky Star" 10 times since last night.

― Nick H, Monday, 1 September 2003 14:19 (twenty years ago) link

stevem that was you !

i was listening + i thought - u know what ? i bet that's
an ILX type who's resposible. very well done. sounded great
coming through the tv off the SKY dish.

― piscesboy, Monday, 1 September 2003 14:51 (twenty years ago) link

you would've heard my voice on there at some point after as well, unless i wasn't talking loud enough into the mic (how do these trumpet things work then? oh i see - PAAAAARP) - i was asked on-air what i thought of Busta's 'Light Your Ass On Fire' and my response was a solemn but dignified 'definitely..absolute..killer'

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 1 September 2003 15:28 (twenty years ago) link

I managed to download the album - thanks Stevem you're a god! - and it is indeed pretty great. I'm not sure whether it's definitely *better* than their former albums though. What I'm missing at the moment is the swoonworthy stuff like "Romeo" or "All I Know" (cf. brainmelting over-the-top density) although that will probably come with time.

First thought on hearing "Lucky Star" - this is the direction the Stanton Warriors should have gone in.

Second thought on hearing "Lucky Star" - hey! This sounds like 808 State circa "Ex:El"!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 01:02 (twenty years ago) link

― Scott Warner (thream), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 05:33 (twenty years ago) link

yeah i would have to agree with tim (and ned way way back) here. it's odd that while (unlike the other two) there isn't a single BAD track here, none of it's as catchy as "romeo" or "where's your head at" or "red alert".

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 06:22 (twenty years ago) link

oh yeah and i gotta disagree about w/ the idea that the album gets boring halfway through. aside from "right here's the spot" i think i like the second half better - "if i ever recover" has got to be their most beautiful moment ever, even better than "stop 4 love" or "always be there".

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 06:27 (twenty years ago) link

By "swoonworthy" I mean "vaguely heartbreaking" actually (one of the things I like about "Romeo" is that it's like the pop version of Kitchens of Distinction's "Third Time We Opened The Capsule" ie. it attempts to equate sonic overload with emotional overload). I was hoping that their stuff was going to continue to get more explicitly emotional as time went on. And there is emotional stuff on Kish Kash but it tends to be on the ballad/indie tracks.

But yeah I'd probably agree that there's no single track on there as good as "Romeo". Of course, early days! I've had the album for less than 24 hours! Should not comment!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 06:34 (twenty years ago) link

my initial feeling is that 'Kish Kash' is better than 'Rooty' - it's like its younger brother, often getting dismissed as just aping the style of its older sibling but really its more creative, wilder and deranged.

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 12:05 (twenty years ago) link

Have a look:

http://static3.state51.co.uk/25/60/2790054_TR6f/191x191.jpeg

― JoB (JoB), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 12:31 (twenty years ago) link

And there you have it.

― Barima (Barima), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 12:35 (twenty years ago) link

Gosh that's almost as ugly as the last cover!

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 12:36 (twenty years ago) link

Did they stick their logo on top of the sky from the 'Setting Sun' cover? It flips between classic and dud.

― Barima (Barima), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 12:39 (twenty years ago) link

That cover is fucking awesome. You are both mentalists.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:27 (twenty years ago) link

I'm not keen - it's quite cool as a splash page design or cheap poster but not as an album cover

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:33 (twenty years ago) link

it looks like a dodgy cigarette package

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:40 (twenty years ago) link

Matt, I haven't opined on the cover yet, you nutter.

― Barima (Barima), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:47 (twenty years ago) link

i was thinking it looked like that missy elliot jewellry ad

― H (Heruy), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:47 (twenty years ago) link

This whole album is the music burbling in my head committed to disc and sent out to the whole world. I completely agree that "Right Here's The Spot" out-Princes anything on _Rooty_. Also, I disagree that there are no immediately engaging tracks, especially with "Right Here's The Spot", "Cish Cash", and "Plug It In" bouncing all up and down my brain.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 15:45 (twenty years ago) link

"Good Luck" sounds like a k-single to me.

The last few tracks where they slow it down are all gorgeous, too. If anything it's the 'overstuffed' middle that's the weakest stretch.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 15:49 (twenty years ago) link

with vocals from nowboy dizzee and the benefit of first single momentum to help it through the learning stage, i think "lucky star" was the right choice (politically) for first single.

that said, "right here's the spot", "cish cash", "plug it in" and (especially!) "good luck" are possibly all more immediate

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:08 (twenty years ago) link

"Plug It In" "Plug It In" "Plug It In"

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:18 (twenty years ago) link

JC is SO MUCH BETTER than Justin it's amazing. I find it telling that Justin's best songs are the ones where he sounds more like JC ("Rock Your Body", "Senorita").

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:27 (twenty years ago) link

ah Dan! why keep up with the "Like I Luv U" hate? I mean, Basement Jaxx loved it enough to remix it ferchrissakes!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:32 (twenty years ago) link

BJ doesn't get paid for remixes? Anyway, that remix was the only good thing to come out of that song (which I think I said at the time).

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:35 (twenty years ago) link

Dan and I once again demonstrate sanity in a cruel world. But the wrath of Larcole will be strong...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:51 (twenty years ago) link

Basement Jaxx clearly don't just do remixes for money. They're very selective. In fact, I can't think of another external remix they've done besides Missy.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:10 (twenty years ago) link

they did Lil Mo Yin Yang and Nikita Warren way back in '96, then Daft Punk and the Pet Shop Boys in '97, but yeh they're unusually selective i guess.

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:16 (twenty years ago) link

At any rate, they may have remixed Justin but they recorded with JC.

All of this misses the real question, which is "Why should I care if Basement Jaxx likes Justin Timberlake?"

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:38 (twenty years ago) link

Because apparently not liking Justin equals death. Somehow, though, it strikes me as unconstitutional to advance this.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:41 (twenty years ago) link

No, I just don't see why hating Justin has to get dragged into every conversation. It seems kind of obstinate and orby.

― Larcole (Nicole), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:45 (twenty years ago) link

and boring, as it has been for, oh, a year now

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:46 (twenty years ago) link

Though I'm plenty guilty of the random slams, in this particular case I think we're all agreed that if it was another non-Nsync singer on "Plug It In" that the comparison -- first advanced here by Jess, I should note, rather than Dan and I -- probably wouldn't have come up in the first place. Complaining about this exact comparison is a bit like saying -- in a rather different and reversed situation -- that it's too patently obvious to drag in George Michael as a comparison point when talking about Andrew Ridgley's solo work.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:57 (twenty years ago) link

ok, fair enough

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:59 (twenty years ago) link

If the underlying message here is "fuck off and don't come back until you have something new to say", stop beating around the bush and say it.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 18:00 (twenty years ago) link

"fuck off and don't come back until you have something new to say"

― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 18:03 (twenty years ago) link

";-)"

― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 18:03 (twenty years ago) link

IDENTITY THIEF

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 18:07 (twenty years ago) link

"Heavens!"

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 18:10 (twenty years ago) link

You're not stealing anything, you. We have to look for our precious now.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 18:13 (twenty years ago) link

Dan = Smeagol, Ned = Gollum.

― Larcole (Nicole), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 18:18 (twenty years ago) link

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