Album of the month : June 2002
JUNIOR SENIOR (DK) :
" D-d-don't don't stop the beat "
( Crunchy Frog)
Tired of sad songs, minor chords and slow rhythms ? Want something with punch and crunch to fit with the sunny days and make you feel on top of the world ? Look no further: this ill-assorted duo ( Junior is a fidgety girl-addicted little smart-ass, while Senior, a tall strapping fellow, better likes boys) is just what you need.
Both retro and futuristic at the same time, the music of JUNIOR SENIOR is an explosive cocktail of rock and pop from the last 50 years, set on fire with the sound of today. Rockabilly, doo-wop, rhythm n' blues, 60's pop, glitter rock, disco or new-wave are just some of the ingredients that Jesper Mortensen ( Jr.) and Jeppe Breum ( Sr.) mix and spit out boiling-hot through their samplers, computers and other various electronic toys. Already experimented with some success by the likes of Beck Hansen, The Avalanches, Solex or 2-Many DJ's, this method has proved itself, but never before has it been as sexy and flashy as in the hands of these two nutters.
The opening track kicks off to the sound of a joyous crowd cheering and shouting, so there can be no mistake: it's party time ! Drop the confettis, light the sparkling candles... and check out your shoes, because it won't take long before you feel like getting pricklings in your legs and find yourself jumping all around. If Rhythm Bandits sums up the band's Robin Hood philosophy ( to rob and redistribute) and does it in a delightful mishmash of electro-beats and bouncing pop tunes, most of the songs topics are definitely below the belt. Move Your Feet, the single, is a prime slice of disco fever featuring the Laurel and Hardy of dancefloors in a hilarious stuttering rap and guest star Thomas Troelsen ( Superheroes) doing a terrific impersonation of Michael Jackson. Chicks And Dicks delivers a shot of pure adrenalin: just imagine that famous meeting in Graceland between The King ( on the verse) and The Beatles ( on the chorus) sent into orbit on Sigue Sigue Sputnik's Love Missile F 1-11. As lustful as its title suggests, Shake Your Coconuts ( " ...until the milk comes out" !! ) invites the leader of the pack to go gangbang under the palmtrees of " Aloha in Hawaii". Boy Meets Girl slows down the tempo, but still raises the temperature a few degrees higher, thanks to a lascivious melody that stretches voluptuously over sweaty rhythms and addictive guitar ornaments. C'mon bursts like genuine bubblegum chewy-chewy drops, half Kastenetz-Katz, half Tommy James & The Shondells, as does Just Shake It Brother, enlivened with more great guitar knitting: a gorgeous tip of the hat to the simple magic that graced so many early 60's pop wonders. Finally, the aptly-titled Dynamite manages to organize this unexpected event: Sha-Na-Na jamming with Pop Will Eat Itself in Ray Baretto's basement.
The burly volume assault of White Trash closes the album like a Suicide song on 78 RPM ( my advice: don't try to dance on that one !). As if there was not enough name-dropping in this review, the lyrics pay tribute to some of the boys' heroes: Nancy Sinatra/ Lee Hazlewood, Sonny and Cher and The New York Dolls. By the time you get there, your carpet has got a bad time of it, but who the hell cares ? Soon, a reprise of the first track's opening urges you on to play the album once more and keep on partying.
Rumour has it that Universal has licensed " D-d-don't don't stop the beat" for a European release. You guys at Vivendi-Universal can rejoice: your problems are over !
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