New Basement Jaxx

The new album is growing on me like lichen.

The song of many singers... Quite a few people who passed through the studio had a crack at this one but eventually we got a visit from JC (set up by a mutual friend to discuss the possibility of producing a track for his forthcoming solo album) and when we heard him sing we knew, at last, that we had a voice for "Plug It In".

Maybe the question should be would any of you be arguing against JC Chasez if weren't a member of a boyband? I think not. I bet most of you arguing against him wouldn't have any problems if he were just some unknown singer.

I still think this album is only *as good as* Rooty. But that's hardly a diss - it makes it my second favourite (and very almost favourite) album of the year. I think Tom's right insofar as that the strengths of the albums are different and this album either falls short of or far surpasses Rooty depending on which criteria you use.

I agreed with Ned re "Good Luck" until I played it really loud; now I love it. Volume is really essential with this album, much more than the previous two. Possibly it's because the focus is not so much on repetitious grooves (I don't think there's a single "proper" 4/4 beat on it) but on punishing riffs/hooks and profusion of sounds, and both of those need to be heard really loud to have their full effect.

Way more consistent that Rooty imo.

I totally disagree. There's nothing special about Justin's vocals and his songs are not about them but about the production. One of the main complaints I've read about Justin's album is the total lack of personality of the singing on it. Most reviews seem to agree that it's the PRODUCTION that makes his album and NOT the vocals. As an example, take what Entertainment Weekly said : Whether it's because Timberlake has a suave but indistinct voice or because his producers overpower him, the album is strangely anonymous. Justin's "persona" hardly carries his album. The production of the Neptunes and Timbaland do. I think ANYONE could have been singing the songs on Justified and the songs would have sounded just as good (or bad). But apparently, according to Basement Jaxx, not just anyone could do Plug It In since they went through many singers before they found the voice made for the song. If just any "anonymous" voice would have done the job, then why didn't Basement Jaxx just use one of the many other singers they tried?

Well slap my ass and call me stupid, but aren't Justin's "singles" his album tracks? Unless you are referring to the remixes that come on the commercial singles? Because yeah, I think the remixes done by people like Basement Jaxx definitely have more personality than the run of the mill Neptunes and Timbaland sounds on the album, but I'm basing my opinions of him on his actual album (and his stuff with *NSYNC), not remixes.

Also: Sasha Frere-Jones I Kiss You

and "run of the mill Neputunes and Timbaland sounds" is a contradiction in terms.

I strongly beg to differ, unless you're implicitly drawing a distinction between the sounds themselves and how they use them.

How so? I think both have their own distinct sounds. So much so that they've become rather formulaic. Meaning you can tell most Neptunes songs when you hear them and you can tell most Timbaland songs when you hear them. That means I meant the songs are "run of the mill" Neptunes songs and "run of the mill" Timbaland songs. I think Justified sounds like a bunch of Neptunes and Timbaland songs and not like a bunch of Justin Timberlake songs.

I had no idea which songs were produced by which producers till I looked at the booklet, to be honest. in that sense it seems way more like a Justin record than a 'Tunes or Timba record to me.

Also if you can ID a track as from a producer it doesn't mean that its run of the mill.

The funny thing is that you inadvertantly reinforced why both Dan and I dislike the album so much!

I totally disagree. The producers overpower Justin, not the other way around. The producers make Juistified, not the other way around. I'm certainly not alone in this opinion. In fact, I'd say I'm in the majority. The Neptunes and Timbaland have been given the bulk of the credit of the album by many people.

I was merely pointing out that I'm not exactly throwing around a farfetched or out-there opinion.

Sorry if you are a Justin Timberlake fan and all that. I just don't happen to agree that he somehow overpowers producers like the Neptunes and Timbaland. They molded that album and made it what it is. Justin is rather young and not exactly a fully realized artist. Maybe when he becomes a more mature artist he'll be able to get more of himself in his product instead of coming off a weak Michael Jackson imitator.

Read the damn thread I linked already.

Also asserting something never proves it. SFJ proves (in the article from the thread I linked) HIS point and if I had the energy of a particular point of attack I could back it up fairly easily. Quick example: could Seniorita work without Justin's strained falsetto? Also, who else could or does sing like that? Second example: can justin beatbox or WHAT?

Third example (per SFJ) Justin came up with the Cry Me A River melody which is unlike any other timbo melodies ever.

I totally missed the link you posted.

I read that back when it came out. It gave me quite a laugh. I couldn't decide if the person was a just a huge Justin teeny (I imagined him sitting at his desk, sighing as he looked at his Justin poster from Tiger Beat while writing his indignant article) or had a vendetta against the New Yorker's Alex Ross (that big meany doesn't appreciate Justin like he should!). Sorry, but I wasn't impressed.

Do you want to spend massive amounts of time posting links to articles and reviews that "prove" our opinions of Justin? I can find quite a few (as I'm sure you can). That would get old after awhile. Don't you think? ;o)

That's going to get a big "what in the hell are you talking about?" from me.

I don't exactly get what you mean.

All I can say (since I don't get exactly what you meant.. I must need some sleep) is I don't think his sales exactly show overwhelming support from the "masses". Here in the U.S., he's around 2.9 million sold. Hardly indicative of massive support from the "masses". Especially compared to what *NSYNC has sold here.

Aw man.

Anyway can we get back to the Jaxx???

"But it sounds really good on headphones too."

I've only been listening to it on headphones! Only on 7.7 rather than 6.1. It hurts in a nice way.

Can I incite people to talk about how great "Living Room" is? luvvit to the bone.

Agree that it is more consistent than Rooty.

I like this album alot because it seems to have gone down the Set Yo Body Free route alot more persistently than the previous two.