The Wednesday Canon: DANCE DOUBLE HEADER!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

A special double edition of the Wednesday Canon spotlighting those two titans of what top dance journo Ronan calls "album dance" - Basement Jaxx, and the Chemical Bros. Both blokey duos, both shifting plenty of units to the non clubbing inclined, both with a penchant for using guest vocalists from the worlds of pop, rap and Nindie. Let us see which of their hits rate, and which are RANK. You get FIVE per artist.




[Poll #717339]


And what of New Order, eh? Here's the official real actual canon:


1. Blue Monday (33 votes)
2. True Faith (31)
3=. Love Will Tear Us Apart (26)
3=. Regret (26)
5. Temptation (23)
6. Atmosphere (22)
7. World In Motion (16)
8=. Ceremony (15)
8=. Thieves Like Us (15)

And the best member is, obviously, Gilliang.

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Re Jaxx? Right now I rarely listen to them because of the over-maximalism (though this is what made it great on release); maybe side-product of drive towards minimalism since, it will be interesting to see if/how Jaxx fit into this whenever they do some more music (though judging from their Sov production work, they don't - ie they work as great pop music still, but not as dance music any more)

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

interesting - Tiefschwarz remind me of Jaxx at times with the way they populate each bar with odd or unique events but with more subtlety (also goes for numerous other producers in that genre). but they probably don't have the discipline or the inclination to make that kind of thing. esp. as they're really gone ever more pop this decade and are now a veritable 'household name'.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Have you heard the Tiefschwarz rmx of 'Teary Eyed'? It does exactly that, it's the most maximalist dance thing I've heard this year though it is maybe...smoother, sleeker than Jaxx.

When I interviewed the Jaxx a couple of years ago they said they were going to focus on production work, er, I guess they were speaking the truth.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I don't think the problem with Kish Kash is that it is 'over maximal' per se. My theory is that B Jaxx's production skills are insufficient to cope with all the ideas they want to put in the songs. They should get someone else in to produce their records.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

Unheard of in their respective field!

But then nobody else does quite what they do.

I'm puzzled though. I'm guessing you think that someone else should produce because there needs to be more discipline? Effectively less going on in the track? Less changes? A reduced range of events/palette of sounds? I don't think there is anyone else out there who could pack this range of ideas/tricks/fx into pop-length tracks as well as they do.

For whatever reason they have toned it down for recent singles though - 'Oh My Gosh' and 'U Don't Know' were fairly 'ordinary' and restrained by their standards. Also distinctly lacking ticks I notice.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

oop sorry 'Oh My Gosh' is actually doing quite well. And to be honest not even I listened to 'U Don't Know Me' much as it was just knocked out for the Greatest Hits.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing you think that someone else should produce because there needs to be more discipline? Effectively less going on in the track? Less changes?

No no, that's not what I mean at all. I mean they should use someone who knows how to produce busy records. Someone like - I don't know - Bob Ezrin*, maybe?

*Noted prog producer of the 70s - he is prolly retired by now.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

But then why/how do Jaxx fail at busy pop/dance records themselves?

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

They are rubbish producers? (I sense this argument is going in circles)

And yes that is a subjective assessment. But I think it is true that not everyone has a talent for production, even if (especially if) they have a talent for writing music.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

well the argument goes nowhere (never mind in circles) if you can't explain WHY they're rubbish producers. but then even if you did i'm sure i would disagree, so THAT would be circles. it would still be interesting to know why though!

But I think it is true that not everyone has a talent for production, even if (especially if) they have a talent for writing music.

True of course, but if anything I'd say Jaxx are better producers than musicians. It gets blurry for me here though as I tend to think the two dissolve into each other when it comes to dance producer/DJ/artists. But unlike many of their peers Jaxx DO also show musical awareness (melodic touches etc.) [/Hongro]

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Haha if I did get to swap 4 Jaxx votes for a Chemicals vote, Oh My Gosh is the one I'd keep!