[wpaudio url=”http://wordisbond.data.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/02-The-Mission.mp3″ text=”Jazz Spastiks & junclassic – The Mission” dl=”0″]
Jazz Spastiks; a Scottish production double-team consisting of Coco D and Mr Manyana. Their sound, most comparable to the early 90’s golden era, has attracted collaborations with artists such as Count Bass D, Atari Blitzkrieg and Vast Aire. junclassic; Queens New York emcee who arrived on the scene in ’97 with K-Sise as the rap duo Dynamix and later became inducted into the Monsta Island Czars crew for a while. Both artists have a number of albums to their name, however they came together after working on a single last year via the internet, and subsequently re-united as a trio to present Mode 7, released at the end of July. Continue reading…A generally light-hearted and upbeat release, conveyed immediately by the cover aesthetics, the album makes for an easy, albeit short, listen. The beats as might be expected are very jazz heavy and flawlessly take the listeners back to that distinctive period from the outset with the intro. Once coerced into this mindset it is very difficult to dislike the tracks that ensue. Delivering the final blow that keeps the ears locked is junclassic’s lyrical flow which harmonises well. The first couple of tracks “The Mission” and “Bust Ya Melon” are absolute, relentless head nodders that will perhaps, above the other tracks on the album, enjoy the longest and most prosperous lives in your mp3 players and stereos. Whilst the general vibe throughout the album remains upbeat, it does contain under-current themes of a more serious nature (“Bust Ya Melon”, “Times”) however it is rarely strong enough to veer the focus from the buoyant jazzy production and junclassic’s complimenting flow.
[wpaudio url=”http://wordisbond.data.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/10-Hot-Shit.mp3″ text=”Jazz Spastiks & junclassic – Hot Shit!” dl=”0″]
The drawbacks are few, but present. The track “Blunts” feels misplaced as it comes across as the token “weed joint” and would likely not be missed if it didn’t make the final cut. As mentioned previously, the album is short at a concise 10 tracks, 3 of which are interludes. I’m generally a fan of shorter albums, however I would have gladly welcomed another 3-4 tracks on this one as it seems to pull the plug prematurely. This severance is perhaps felt so strongly because the album lacks a musical narrative of sorts, with the tone consistently maintained at the same level throughout the listener isn’t given any inclination of an ending, apart from Track 9 being called “Outro”, which if you aren’t keeping an eye on whilst listening could easily pass as an interlude. For those wondering on whether there is a story linking the Nintendo inspired cover and the ambiguous title Mode 7, it refers to a graphics mode on the SNES system which allowed elaborate pixelated effects that seemed to surpass the machines capabilities. Connecting the dots, Jazz Spastiks explains, “We saw a parallel between this and our own music, creating a lo-fi sound that is beautiful despite of or even because of it’s limitations”. The mission appears accomplished, Mode 7 captures a musical snapshot and presents it with a natural ease that avoids making it appear like a contrived attempt to sound like a throwback.
[easyreview title=”Word Is Bond Rating” cat1title=”Lyrics” cat1detail=”Nice throughout, complimenting the production well” cat1rating=”3″ cat2title=”Production” cat2detail=”Effortlessly dope” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Originality” cat3detail=”Pleasing change to the majority of recent albums.” cat3rating=”3″ cat4title=”Replayability” cat4detail=”High; because of its length and a few stand out tracks.” cat4rating=”3.5″ summary=”Quality over quantity, although the latter would have been good too.”] Previous posts on Jazz Spastiks & junclassic soulquarian14
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