BLK JKS

ZOL! EP

Secretly Canadian

Jun 24, 2010 Web Exclusive By Nate Daly Bookmark and Share


BLK JKS' 2009 debut After Robots was a confounding album; bombastic and full of potential, but with too much unfocused energy to deliver any amazing songs or live up to the hype. Released on June 8, two days before the band performed at the opening ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in their home of Johannesburg, ZOL! gives us five more songs from the burgeoning band.

Even at under 25 minutes, this EP is as confusing as Robots. Opener "IIETYS" starts things off with a steady, driving drumbeat, pulsing electronics, and lilting falsetto vocals. Momentum is ditched with "Bogobe," a near ambient piece with meandering guitar and chanting vocals. The title track, certainly a shoo-in for a soccer anthem, picks things up again with programmed drums and wonderfully harmonized call and response vocals. "Paradise" is a seven-minute prog disaster. It is followed by a demo take of "Mzabalazo," a messy, bumping tune—the most fun song on the EP. (www.blkjks.com)

Author rating: 5/10

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Average reader rating: 4/10

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