Music Platters: BLK JKS – After Robots (Secretly Canadian/Shock)

The sales bins in stores like Real Groovy are littered with albums like these. Albums by groups from countries other than America or England, whose music combines a bunch of elements that are just outside the usual templates most of us unconsciously remain within.

This group (the name is pronounced ‘Black Jacks’) come from South Africa, and they play rock music that’s influenced by native African (surprise, surprise), reggae/dub, jazz and more.

What they do on any given track on this wildly eclectic album is often rich and has a genuine “point of difference”, as they say in the marketing world. Unfortunately, consumers and radio don’t seem to be looking for a point of difference, unless it involves a sexy, Rihanna-style chick doing something titillating. I can see this group performing at WOMAD festivals and maybe putting on a rousing performance, but still not selling that many CDs, because there really is a disgracefully tiny market for non-American, non-British music in our depressingly conservative country.

BLK JKS don’t make a sound that is instantly identifiable, and as noted, each track is quite different from the last in both sound and style. This is both a blessing and a curse. The first track, for instance, is a full-on Afro-rock anthem, while the last track is a gorgeous pensive thing with minimal instrumentation. At some point during the album, I suddenly thought I was listening to the Moody Blues. Thanks goodness, that wasn’t to last.

After Robots is a “multi-kulti” record that has a lot going for it, but I get the feeling they’d be much better on-stage. GARY STEEL

Sound = 2.5 Stars

Music = 3 Stars