Is it too much to consider that Asthmatic Kitty is having something of a golden period? While there’s always been a diverse range of great music on the label, Sufjan Stevens has been the flagship reaching the masses. Much of the rest of Asthmatic Kitty’s roster has remained accessible mostly to those consciously seeking them out or within their own local music communities (which hasn’t really extended to Australia greatly). However, with the recent Castanets album (and current Australian tour) and now this album from Jookabox, others are stepping out from Stevens’ shadows (not withstanding his own new tribute to some highway).
Dead Zone Boys is pretty incredible mix of apocalyptic drumming, buzzing bass distortion, hillbilly sing-song and contemporary studio technique. As ludicrous as that combination might sound on the surface (and Jookabox aren’t afraid to head into the ludicrous – just listen to the chipmunked mandolin and vocals on ‘You Cried Me’ before its joyous backbeat and vitriolic lead vocal kick in) it never ends up sounding so. When ‘Don’t Go Phantom’ starts with a sped up loop of helium vocals, a brief smile is brought to your face, only to be wiped off by the huge tom drums and sliding, distorted bass and synth melodies. Even BeeGees style falsetto vocal harmonies in ‘East Side Bangs/East Side Fade’ can’t sound silly when sat on top on compressed tom action, Dr Dre synth whines and more distorted bass. It just sounds huge and beautiful. ‘Glyphin’ Out’ is sped up vocals singing a hugely catchy melody over a stuttering voice sample. ‘Evil Guh’ slows the mood down for a moment as a single guitar stab loops over amp static and layers of heavily reverbed guitar twangs and harmonies. Even here, Jookabox just can’t resist playing with the voices, a doomy pitch-shifted spoken middle should sound ridiculous, or at least tritely comedic, but it works.
This really is an incredible work of production. The more I listen, the more elements I hear of sounds, effects and processes that, in isolation (or in the wrong hands) would just be tacky trivialities. But the manner in which the duo stitches them together with some incredibly hard-edged elements, as well as moments of melodic brilliance, undercuts any chance of kitsch. The end result is an album which has you continually wondering how they pull it off, while simultaneously jumping around and singing along.
Adrian Elmer
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