Track list:
01. Listen
02. Queen of Wonderland Ft. Thundercat
03. Whatchalookin@
04. Kill 4 Fun
05. Rock That Ship
06. Turn The Lights Out
07. Little Tramp$
08. Topsy Turvy
09. MaMa’s Back
10. This One
11. Anything Goes
I believe it's true when people say that things come around in circles time and time again. Just look at people's rejuvenated interest in Vampire related stories, the return of 3D effects in movies; a notion that was tried and failed in the 90's and early naughties. Look at the constant reboots of movies but more importantly at the fresh take of characters in the DC universe (see the new 52). But my main point: Look at the return of experiments in certain genres of music. The europop sound of the 90s was laughed at and considered awful but is now revisited and excepted everywhere to the point that the most popular rap and RnB artists have a europop track or two on their albums. The electronic experiments of the 80s is being revisited in Dubstep, Alternative Hip-hop artists and even the soulful crowds. The sound of the 60s/70s is being revisited through the sounds of modern soul. But every so often there'll come artists/musicians /writers etc that'll take influences from everywhere and make something old but totally new!!!
Enter Miss Jack Davey and Brook D'Leau, known to many as J*Davey; Miss Jack Davey's sultry vocals popping up on tracks by The Roots, 4Hero, and Sa-Ra Creative Partners (the list goes on...) while Brook D'Leau's synths have appeared on the work of Sa-Ra, Stephen 'Thundercat' Bruner, Shafiq Husayn, 88 Keys, and so on. Although initially appealing to Soul and Jazz fans, their musical influences are from EVERYWHERE! Brook sounds just as comfortable battling it out with Bruner on 'Jamboree' as he does creating bouncy, poppy pieces like 'SLOOOW'...ANYWAY!!! With many a song and 4 EPs under their belt, fans (myself included) have been waiting for the release of their official debut record
Well, via a download with incredibly detailed liner notes comes their debut album called 'New Designer Drug'. On first glance I was underwhelmed as I saw only 11 tracks, another anxiety that jumped to mind is that as there are more musical inflences being blended into the mix, the music may come off forced...I needn't have worried at all. Each piece has been created with care and influences have been drawn on genuinely. The very personal and vulnerable 'Listen' starts us off with an exciting build up in keys, reminding me of the nervousness that goes through a person when telling someone that they like them. The melody is slow but the harsh snares causes you to nod your head anyway, although I think that the acoustic piano section at the end is a grower. 'New Designer Drug' contains a wide range of sounds with lyrics to compliment them. The albums' single 'Queen of Wonderland' has a strong pop element to it, Stephen Bruners' bass chords giving it this attitude and extra oomph, the lyrics are about loving someone despite your ups and downs and flaws. Another pop and video game influenced track 'Topsy Turvy' can be quite deceiving on first listen. It sounds like Cartwright (Miss Jack Davey) is describing a sexual relationship whereas she's actually describing a drug-trip. The quirky energy in the hook evokes images of random colours everywhere although it reminds me of Sonic the Hedgehog's 'Labyrinth Zone'. A punk-rock type, rebellious energy is evident on 'Kill 4 Fun' although sounding very synthy, the lack to constant hammer of drums builds anticipation followed by climax to each verse. A strong dance element presents itself on 'Rock That Ship', echoey voices complimenting the "LIGHTS OUT!!!" Hook. 'Turn the Lights Out' conveys the fear of dealing with the aftermath of a potentially self destructive night out, the build up on the b-section revealing an uncertainty before the hook.
The rather sinister 'Little Tramp' (sinister in the sense that the bouncy percussion and synths brings images of fat cats in massive fur coats smoking exaggeratively large cigars, while laughing at anyone with less money than them) gives Brook D'Leau the chance to tell tales of egos being trampled on by bigger egos, his monotonous vocals complimenting the music really well. This is followed by a short intermission where Miss Jack Davey drops an insanely well delivered 32 bar rap verse over a chilled instrumental. The waning keys and wah wah pedals on 'This One' makes me imagine wilted to lifeless trees in a desert by an ever-shrinking oasis, the break down causing me to want to move again. The album closes with a relaxed vibe similar to 'Listen' with 'Anything Goes', a slow number mainly comprising of keys, and strangely enough a few sound effects used in 16-bit video games before fading out.
'New Designer Drug' is one of those albums that continues to push musical boundaries in a welcome manner. The fact that so many sounds and influences blur the actual genre this album could be in gives me hope that it will attract radio listeners and music collectors alike.
- Alex King
Previous review by Alex: 'A WHA HIM DEH PON' - Dego
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