BLK JKS “After Robots” Review

South Africa may not seem like a place to discover a rising indie band that invokes Mars Volta, Fela Kuti, Tortoise alongside actual African rhythms, howling falsettos and blistering 70′s era guitars. That being said, led by the a charismatic singer, guitarist and front-man in Lindani Buthelezi comes one of South Africa’s finest musical exports in years, BLK JKS. The young four-piece has all the raw energy and musicianship to attract indie kids, progressive jazz heads, world music fans and hip-hop lovers over 25. And while the overwhelming hype can turn you off before you even hear them, don’t let the noise stop you from listening. The music of After Robots is galloping, sprawling and fiercely engaging in its joyfulness.

BLK JKS offer a fresh look into South African youth culture, and when they came to the States last year they quickly made new friends; they excited Diplo and Fader’s then-editor Knox Robinson loved them so much he became their manager. Fader put them on the cover and they quickly played hipster slots at SXSW leading to a series of blog love and recent honors in Spin’s Hot New Bands and Rolling Stone’s 2009 Artists To Watch. Led by guitarist, singer Buthelezi whose soaring, heroic vocals and angular guitars mesh with guitarist Mpumi Mcata and rhythm section of dynamic drummer Tshepang Ramoba and bottom heavy bassist Molefi Makananise glide through artful, psychedelic, prog-rock jam session on their full length debut After Robots. The quartet from Johannesburg and Soweto are equally influenced by rock legends such as Rush, Pink Floyd and Television, as they are traditional music of South African Mbaqanga, Kuti, and Bob Marley. This is not the fraternity funk of Vampire Weekend.

Opening with the urgent tribal thump and South African rhythms on “Molalatladi,” an ethnic jam session with the blaring horns of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, piercing electric guitar solos, poly-rhythmic drumming and celebratory chants. Following that is “Banna Ba Modimo,” a proggy track that also features the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, which winds down as Buthelezi voice narrates. The Soweto township groove of “Lakeside” is from their debut, a vinyl-only 10-inch EP, Mystery, and is another haunting, swinging tribal jump as Buthelezi sings “Down by the lakeside/Your life flashed before your eyes/Happiness is near.” The album’s centerpiece the slower, tender, emotional ballad “Standby” which finds Buthelezi’s voice angelic and fragile as he asks “Hello, do you know what your searching for?” The shuffling, schizophrenic “Taxidermy” changes gears with shifting rhythms as Buthelezi sings “Don’t you cry, if we all survive/Dry your eyes now.” The album isn’t without its flaws however as there are moments of indulgence: the eight minute “Kwa Nqingetje,” for example, is a sprawling exercise in psychedelia that never really takes off.

“Skeletons” is a dubbed-out track that bursts with trippy guitars set against charging horns and skankin’ buzz which brings to mind the darker side of Fishbone. The somber, ethereal “Cursor” has Buthelezi’s majestic crooning before closing with the stripped down, gentle warmness of acoustic strumming on “Tselane,” a gorgeous lullaby sung in their native language. Sometimes less is more.

They deliver on the hype with their post hip-hop gangsta music with indie-rock insider status—like Bad Brains on shrooms, wait Bad Brains were on mushrooms, more like TV On The Radio jamming with the English Beat after a few blunts and pints. After Robots is an adventurous debut that shows promise and succeeds in its gold to capture their live energy and introduce a new voice buried in frenetic tension of swelling choruses and booming backbeat for a wonderful exploratory cacophony of sound.

[This article was written by guest contributor Jon Jon Scott.]