Both good and bad kinds of density exist in music. While the mind-numbly inane density in, say, Jessica Simpson's lyrics maintain prevalence, a rarer, powerful form of density also exists -- one that results from layer upon layer of sound, embellishments over embellishments, so thick that the music is nearly solid, and constantly shifts in aural focus. "Kish Kash," the latest contribution from Basement Jaxx, is an amalgamation of styles that synthesize not only over the course of the single album, but in each track.
The pervading style, surprisingly enough, is rock. For the dynamic duo of Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton, the dance floor has always been their playground, with all of the blips and bleeps that come with it. "Red Alert," one of many club successes from 1999's "Remedy," is certainly an example of their slightly untraditional songs that still incorporate all of the defining traits of dance music. Such defined the Jaxx of yore.
Curiously enough, these central elements of house music have not been toned down even the slightest bit; instead, they have spawned with rock without sacrificing any of their techno roots. The integration jives with the Jaxx's core penchant for cramming the maximum possible velocity into a single song, at times overwhelmingly so. But "Kish Kash" seems to go past physical boundaries of how much sound can be jammed into a single space.
While no one would mistake "Kish Kash" for "Appetite for Destruction," the electric guitar unmistakably dominates the recording sessions; "Supersonic" goes as far to tag on a guitar solo near the end of the track, breaking up the funky bluegrass stomp that otherwise defines the beat. The effect is akin to Janet Jackson's "Black Cat" -- it sounds good, it works, and yet since when did Jackson emulate arena rock?
While we're discussing imitation, however, there is no excuse for a JC Chasez appearance on the record, but on "Plug It In" he provides lead vocals. It's a vain attempt to one-up a certain bandmate's recent solo work, and perhaps justifiably so, but it comes across as glaringly similar to what's already been done this year, by both Timberlake and others. The track itself is solid -- frankly, it rocks, minus rather irritating vocals from Totlyn Jackson -- but sounds dated nonetheless.
"Lucky Star" is plagued with the same timing problem. The key to a successful electronic album undoubtedly lies in sparkling originality, and the novelty of Indian-influenced adornment was played out months ago. Dizzee Rascal saves the track from complete obsolescence with animated verse that dominates the entirety of its surroundings -- should the Mercury Prize winner truly represent the future of British hip-hop then it will certainly continue to be a scene worth watching.
Among the album's many gems, "Cish Cash" gleams the brightest: An electro-clash rocker, it puts the relatively recent glamour of Fischerspooner to shame. Guest vocalist Siouxsie Sioux adds a postpunk swagger, and the result is an anthemic masterwork.
Despite timing problems and a couple of experiments that ultimately fail (the downtempo "If I Ever Recover" is tedious at best), the album is still unquestionably a landmark release. Basement Jaxx has been setting lofty standards for electronic music since the arrival of 1998's "Atlantic Jaxx Recordings," and "Kish Kash" is no different. Unlike its predecessors, the album isn't hell-bent on the revolutionary cross-pollination of unexplored genres, but it succeeds in mastering and adding vibrancy to a sound becoming dead in the water of the fast-paced electronic world. While they may survey territory previously discovered, they still have the power to suddenly make an uninteresting landscape remarkable.
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