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By Aaron Williams

BLK JKS After Robots Secretly Canadian Alternative Rock

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From South Africa, BLK JKS (Black Jacks) are starting to get some much deserved attention. They are a little bit like The Mars Volta, only not as heavy, and a little bit like TV On The Radio, but without the airtight production. Their dark sounding horn section is definitely distinctly their own. I haven’t heard a horn section this scary since that part at the end of Disney’s Fantasia when the dead start rising from their graves.

The singing is switched up between English and Zulu. Their use of odd time signatures also makes for a world music feel. I don’t mean Vampire Weekend worldly – the tone and the band’s origins are not indicative of any time spent at Ivy League schools. The album can at times be a little bit overwhelming in its seriousness. No light tracks save for a few peaceful moments on the final two cuts, but even those are short lived.

My favourite moment on the album comes at the end of “Lakeside,” there is about 30 seconds where it sounds like the whole thing is going off the rails before it comes down hard on “Taxidermy,” one of the most instantly likable tunes on the album. After Robots has no trouble coming across as a cohesive piece of work from start to finish, but it does have trouble finding standout tracks that you can flick to when you just need a small dose.

Apparently they are recording a catchy tune for the World Cup next year in South Africa, which will wet my hit appetite for singles. As a whole, After Robots’ coherence might be its strongest point. It held my attention for the whole 45 minutes, which is rare for me.

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