jj: Kills

jj
Kills
Rating: Grrrr

Continuing the trend of amazing free music being released this January, enigmatic Swedish pop duo jj unleashes their mixtape Kills. A couple of years ago, the icy, hip-hop loving duo released their debut album jj no. 2, which featured a captivating mix of Baleric and indie pop mixed with hip-hop beats, and the terrific single "Ecstacy" which was basically a semi-cover of Lil' Wayne's "Lollipop." Barely 8 months after their debut, they released jj no. 3, which almost killed their forward momentum. The album was a half-baked batch of aimless, new agey meanderings, with none of the lightness and beauty of their debut. This, coupled with one of the worst live shows I have ever witnessed, was about all I could take of them, and I wrote them off.

Around Christmas, I heard word that jj were back with a new mixtape that was meant to recapture the sound that I found so entrancing to begin with. And low and behold, Kills meets and even exceeds my expectations. Mixtapes are an interesting phenomenon, usually taking samples of other songs and adding the artists' own personal stamp to them, either through a bizarre juxtaposition or new lyrics. jj takes their love of American hip-hop and marries it with their cold, Scandinavian pop sensibilities.

On "Still" they take Dr. Dre's "Still Dre" and use the repetitive strings and guitars of that classic to echo the pain of a bad relationship:



They completely reinvent several very popular songs, whether appropriating M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" on "Kill You," or taking the hook from "Empire State of Mind," for "New Work"





turning the former into a twisted revenge tale, and the latter into a fond nostalgic trip to when youth seemed so promising.

While this is not considered a proper follow-up to jj no. 3, it does serve to show that jj do know what they are doing and that jj no. 2 was not a fluke. The joy and skill they show in picking the right hooks and samples to perfectly match the sentiment of the lyrics is practically genius. As long as they use that skill to this effect, I am hopeful their career can get right back on track.

As I mentioned, Kills is a free download, so here is the link so you can download it for yourself.

http://www.gorillavsbear.net/2010/12/23/download-jjs-kills-mixtape/


Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.