The Last Drop

Basement Jaxx, Kish Kash - I usually don’t quote other musical authorities in my own review, but I did take a peak at an old Pitchfork review that purely made me laugh and smile:

“At the time, I thought Kish Kash was something close to the perfect pop album. It’s more like the musical equivalent of playing Katamari Darmacy for eight hours straight or eating an entire bag of fun-size Hershey bars: feels great at the time, but oh the headache/toothache/feeling of recrimination the next day. Maybe I’m just getting older and need more roughage in my diet, or maybe the iPod has rendered the whole concept of “an album as the world’s greatest mixtape” irrelevant. Listening to Prince and gypsy music back to back is no longer a big deal, if it ever was.”

Oh Katamari Damacy, how I love thee! True enough, this album is dance music created for after you eat a large Pixie stick – hyperactive, obnoxious, and inducing a multicolored tongue. But I love it! And I’m looking for pixie sticks over here, but can’t find any, so I’m stuck with Kish Kash instead. Brilliant choices for collaborations (Who knew JC Chasez could be used so effectively outside of N’Sync; if only his solo efforts produced these type of gems) and pure entertainment from front to back. The Michelle N’Degeochello tracks are the true standouts, but I honestly can’t complain about much off of the whole album. Having found Basement Jaxx very late in life (well, I did here “Where’s Your Head At?” but didn’t own any of their work), I am rather shocked at how well their back catalog holds up with their recent efforts. Both Kish Kash and Crazy Itch Radio are extremely enjoyable listens to this day, each with distinctive, Jaxxy qualities that mark the success of great dance producers. This is not your typical European house and yet not friendly enough to cross over into mainstream America. Wherever this middle ground is, it’s a better place for embracing Basement Jaxx.