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Basement Jaxx - Scars

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The Jaxx have also enlisted the talents of Paloma Faith, a singer who has just recently begun to attract attention in the UK. She does her best Amy Winehouse impression on the bouncy and jazzy dance number "What's a Girl Gotta Do?" This is a classic Jaxx production, and would feel at home on almost any of their previous releases. It is a slice of familiarity to remind listeners that Basement Jaxx can still do what they've always done just as well as ever. It is four minutes of pure fun. As is "Feelings Gone," featuring the multi-talented newcomer Sam Sparro. Man, this guy gets around! In the best possible way, of course, supplying his Jamiroquai-like talents as remixer, singer, and producer all over the musical map. "Feelings Gone" is an outright dance track, lacking a lot of the charm that Basement Jaxx infuses into their tracks. Luckily Sparro picks up the slack, so where the collaboration may have felt stale with a different singer, it lights up like magic with the one they got.

Finally, of the names I recognize, Santigold sings on the electro/ragga/ska track "Saga," which is sadly one of the weakest tracks on the album. I love Santigold on her own and she is quite talented. The combination of her quirky talents and Basement Jaxx's own unique vibe create something musically confusing rather than a shining beacon of shared brilliance.

EP to LP

"Twerk" and "My Turn" are the same versions as featured on EP releases, the former sounding sexy, funky, and mystical, while the latter acts more like a prequel to "Raindrops," pensive male vocals layered over a commanding beat. As long as these tracks have been available as commercial releases, I would have rather had two new tracks. The iTunes generation knows how to find the songs they want, and these weren't particularly difficult to find during their initial release. The tracks are entertaining, definitely, and anyone who has yet to hear them will certainly enjoy them on Scars, but I would have liked hearing something new.

More Variations

As a continuation of their musical exploration, Basement Jaxx attempt to tackle a 60s summer sunset beach tune with "A Possibility," those forlorn opening guitar moments eventually developing into a somber R&B track. The metamorphosis is quick and unexpected. I still can't precisely pinpoint when one merged into the other and managed to go back again. This effortless transition makes the track something worth listening to more than once to try and make sense of it. The biggest problem is that just when the cut feels like it is getting somewhere, it ends. I'd like to see this explored further.

Featuring Eli "Paperboy" Reed, "She's No Good" hops along with a happy swing beat, something too tired in today's mainstream music scene. As much guts and grime as Basement Jaxx throws into the track, it redeems itself somewhat. I can see a fun video with lots of trendy, sweaty people clapping their hands and grooving. Then again, I think I've seen that video somewhere before. "She's No Good" doesn't stand out as an innovative track, and the vocal intelligence doesn't come to a boil, especially when the "she" that is no good just sings "I'm so good" over and over, ad nauseum.

"Distractionz" starts in magical mystery land, edited breathing being the only accompaniment to a whimsical xylophone melody. Jose Hendrix Ndelo provides incomprehensible vocals (is that French? I can't tell) over the track that sadly goes nowhere for about 5 minutes, and somehow still manages to be beautiful. Ending the album is "Gimme Somethin' True," Spanish guitar flourishing across Basement Jaxx's signature beats and forgettable vocals. This track failed to leave an impression on me.

Summary

Scars ties for last place with Crazy Itch Radio in the list of my favorite Basement Jaxx albums. I think as their time continues, they create fewer and fewer truly memorable and iconic tracks. No "Get Me Off," or "Romeo," or "Red Alert," or "Hush Boy" here. It is not a bad album, as the general quality of Scars still soars above traditional mainstream music. Time will tell but I feel many may shelve this in favor of earlier releases. There are some good moments and those shouldn't be overlooked. "Scars," "Raindrops," "Stay Close," and "Feelings Gone" are among the best. At least those damn "ludes" are gone this time around.

Released September 2009 on Ultra.

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