Joker: The Vision - Album Review

Joker
The Vision
Rating: Jeez Lady

I seriously don't have a problem with an artist I like becoming popular, or moving to a more "pop" sound. As long as the music is good, I could care less. My problem comes from an artist forsaking everything that made them great in the first place, and making music that they think people want to hear, rather than making music from their heart. Over the past few years, Joker (aka Liam McLean) has released a handful of singles ("Digidesign," "Snake Eater," "Tron") that have pushed the boundaries of dubstep and bass music. There was an outcry from a lot of purists when he signed to 4AD that he would sellout, but the release of first single "The Vision (Let Me Breathe)" implied that these complaints were going to be baseless (no pun intended). The single was a slow building jam of 8 bit squonk and low-end bass that showcased the diva vocals of Jesse Ware.



Had Joker stuck with these instincts, he would have perhaps had one of the top albums of the year. Instead, The Vision is one of the most schizophrenic albums I've heard in awhile. For every banging track, he follows with a limp top of the charts pop fiasco. He lacks trust in himself, and made the album apparently by committee, as if there were notes to put a pop track here, put old track here to not upset the old fans, put this track here which should bridge the two. There is no real "vision" here, only a mishmash/hodgepodge of styles meant to appeal to the broadest spectrum of listeners, and ends up alienating them all.

Not that there aren't tracks to recommend. The aforementioned track with Jesse Ware is brilliant. "Slaughter House (ft. Silas)" is a slinky, dubstep track that has an impassioned vocal from Silas; but has the ironic result of being a track that compares the world of pop music to that of packaged meat, which is what most of the album is.



"My Trance Girl" is classic Joker, with ping-pong like synths and crisp programming underlying the deep basslines.



"The Milky Way" is a slippery grime/dubstep track, with sparkling synths, and a memorable melody.



And of course, the old single "Tron" would be a standout on any record. Its inclusion, however, is puzzling considering none of his other previous tracks are included.



But the rest of the album falters under too many no-name vocal collaborations that are more retro feeling than forward thinking. And quite frankly, several of the tracks are complete embarrassments. "On My Mind (ft. William Cartwright)" feels like a Tinie Tempah leftover crossed with the exact synth-line from Justin Timberlake's "My Love."



Two tracks with Buggsy, "Lost" and "Back in the Days," are forgettable grime tracks that would have been fresh back in 2008. And the instrumental track "Level 6 (Interlude)" practically sounds like 10 presets on a Target bought Casio keyboard. At least the closing track, "Electric Sea (ft. Jay Wilcox)" takes the album out on a better note; a pleasant piece of pop/rap that could have been a more interesting avenue for him to follow.



The Vision was one of my most highly anticipated albums of the year. Sadly, it falls far short of my expectations. Joker still has the chops to be a world class artist, however, he needs to have more focus, and make music for himself and not for some focus group. I don't feel this is Joker album. While there are hints and elements of him here, there is too much studio gloss and polish that has erased any trace of the real Joker.

Rating Scale:

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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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.