2009 started off promising for this South African four-piece. Earlier this year they released an EP, Mystery, which showcased an absurdly talented band (all in the matter of four songs). Then, the late summer came and BLK JKS (Black Jacks) prepared an official full-length debut and, based on the results of Mystery, aspirations were high. Perhaps a little too high. Although After Robots is a solid debut from a band whose talents/ideas seem without end, it falls short from what they are capable of putting together. Splicing together prog/jazz-style drumming and guitar work, African-inspired rhythms, a blasting horn section, and an acute sense of structure, After Robots throws a lot at their listener; in fact, too much. Rather than building off a single idea (per song) to create a fully formed final product, the South Africans delve into their influences too deeply within the same song ("Kwa Nqingetje" sounds chaotic from start to finish) without successfully melding them together. But when ideas are finely placed and their ability to play off one another exemplified ("Standby" and "Banna Ba Modimo" both excel in this; too bad they occur early in the album's run) is when BLK JKS proves that they deserve all the publicity and hype they have received thus far in 2009. While not a complete disappointment, After Robots leaves something to be desired from future BLK JKS releases.
3.7/5.0
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