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Indeed, pinning influences on the record as a whole is a troublesome assignment. Progressive rock, noise, shoegaze and traditional African pop offer pertinent signposts but no more than that. Songs evolve, build and mutate in a variety of unorthodox ways, and though it's not always an easy or immediate listen, it's ultimately one that's well worth any effort invested.
Lindani Buthelezi's predilection for switching the language of his delivery from English to Zulu adds to this kaleidoscopic feel, while the album's snappier, more accessible numbers Lakeside (perhaps the band's defining moment to date) and Skeleton bookend its most difficult and expansive, Kwa Nqingetje.
After Robots reveals BLK JKS as a group who deal in soundscapes rather than songs, one for complete immersion and not casual spins. Their sound pays little mind to conventional band roles, with Tshepang Ramoba's multifarious percussion often taking the lead while the two guitars duelling around and above the rhythm section.
Guitarists Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata are clearly prodigious players but their interlocking melody lines illuminate rather than dominate for the most part, eschewing a traditional rhythm/lead setup. When they do solo, though, it frequently approaches Hendrix-esque levels of technical brilliance. Opener Molalatladi offers a great example of this sonic blueprint, buoyed – as elsewhere – by a horn section courtesy of NYC's Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.
Listeners with the patience to penetrate After Robots' dense exterior, then, will find an accomplished debut album that stays just about on the right side of difficult. That its reference points prove so elusive is simply an indicator that we're dealing here with an increasingly rare breed – a modern band with their own distinct, unique musical vision. For that, they should certainly be applauded. --Rob Webb
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Customer Reviews
are not entirely unwarranted, BLK JKS, a four-piece
hailing from Johannesburg, have a distinctive voice
pretty much all their own (certainly insofar as the
current South African music scene is concerned).
Their debut album 'After Robots' is a little rough
around the edges but what it lacks in production
quality it more than makes up for in raw energy.
The nine tracks sound as though they were assembled
in one take with little additional embellishment.
The band are Lindani Buthelezi (Guitar/Vocals);
Mpumi Mcata (Guitar); Molefi Makananise (Bass)
and Tshepang Ramoba (Drums). Together they are
a tightly efficient ensemble who are not afraid
to let loose from time to time with flurries of
wayward improvisation.
Mr Buthelezi is a persuasive front-man with a strong
moody voice which projects the essentially melancholy
nature of the music with confident aplomb.
The compositional structures are densely layered
and rhythmically complex. 'Skeletons' is a particularly
fine example of their craft. A zany piece of deconstructed
ska saturated with jangling guitar, clattering percussion
and abrasive echoing brass. Marvelous mayhem.
'Banna Ba Modimo' also makes a strong statement.
Toledo meets Tunis in prog-wonderland. There are so
many ideas thrown into the pot it is a wonder that
it doesn't boil over and blow up the stove!
Mr Ramoba's focussed drumming and fierce determination
to keep the show on the road is truly admirable.
'Kwa Nqingetje' is a particular favorite. An atmospheric
piece of minor-key night-music shot through with eerie
disembodied guitar effects and a strangely haunting vocal.
The full-on calamitous central section is a powerfully
realised idea; a strong statement before the piece slips away
into discordant uncertainty in the quasi-psychedelic coda.
Final track 'Tselane' brings the album to a rousing acoustic close.
Rootsy, folksy and captivating in its earthy stripped-down simplicity.
BLK JKS first showing is a very fine affair.
Highly Recommended.
The record opens with 'Molalatladi', blasting in with its tribal drumming, angular guitars and chant-like lyrics. The excellent use of backing vocals in the song is a recurring and welcome theme throughout the album. 'Banna Bo Modimo' carries on in the same vein with its chorus in Zulu. The tempo is slowed down slightly on 'Standby', but that is in no way detrimental to the quality of the track, the first on the record to be sung entirely in English.
The aforementioned 'Lakeside' follows, with its mellow and dreamlike opening developing, unravelling and building to an upbeat crescendo. Some super guitar work graces the fifth 'Taxidermy', which leads into the sprawling eight-minute wilderness of 'Kwa Nqingetje', probably the poorest track on the CD. It could have done with two or three minutes chopping off, as it just tends to meander aimlessly around the middle sections.
But if you thought the start of the album was good, the last three tracks are something else. 'Skeleton' starts off with brass instruments and guitar effects abounding, and takes many twists and turns throughout its four-and-a-half minutes, journeying through hard rock, prog and reggae stylings. A darker vibe can be felt on 'Cursor', which showcases some terrific dissonant guitar in the chorus. The piece de resistance for me though, is the beautiful acoustic closer 'Tselane', sung solely in Zulu. It doesn't matter that you can't understand the lyrics (apart from the words TV, Facebook and MySpace!), it is just such a great piece of music and although it's over six minutes, it just isn't long enough.
Overall, this record is a fantastic showcase of the talent of BLK JKS, and I fervently await their second album.
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