The first impression of the Julien-K debut album looks like the early Yello took an electric guitar and a trip to the industrial-discotheque. Especially the smooth earworm tunes connected with driving percussion produce this impression, till the voice a la De/Vision begins to sing. The second track “Someday Soon” provokes the prejudice to push the thing into the section easy-listening – the reminiscence of 80th dance-music flushes softly through the ears. “Kick the Bass” intensifies this opinion, harder with the beat, but digestible like a mix of Aha with early Depeche Mode and with cosy refrains and recall melodies. But not too fast: this album isn’t that easy.
The difficulties start with “Technical Difficulties” in direction of KMFDM. Then follows “System De Sexe”… Sex? French? Oh yes, ah - together with the synthie rhythm a female voice moans horny, the rest of the vocals feel well between sharp versions of Tears for Fears and The Cars. Julien-K doesn’t create a new genre of music. They build on European danceable music from the last three decades and refine them by a great production. Obviously real professionals had their fingers on the controllers and - creating a brilliant sound beyond a doubt – overwork different styles, cite from former, successful creations and mix all this together with a lot of own ideas, what let the album fly high above flat commercial superficiality.
A little bit it reminds of the old spirit of 10CC, always open to crossbred entertaining sounds with individual madness, too. At least since “Nvr say Nvr” the verdict easy-listening doesn’t fit. This record needs some time to repeat and to get captured and comprehended. “Dystopian Girl” is under the spirit of our millennial: hectic, dynamic, electronic and floating with stimulations; urban dance-music on the border between earworms and aggressive shocks. In “Look At” again more guitars get in, distorted solos go together with industrial-riffs and become an exciting journey. Julien-K is a distinct example for the zeitgeist of our epoch, based on existing elements they create a kind of collage, a piece of artwork which is not really standing by its own but has the strength to be a mirror in which the former music reflects together with fancy ideas from our technological era. Nevertheless the stimulations of this perfect product can’t hide a lack of real emotions; may be, also this a sign of our fascination by consumable relish.
Tracklist:
1. Death To Analog 5.18 min.
2. Someday Soon 4.15 min
3. Kick The Bass 3.45 min.
4. Technical Difficulties 4.22 min
5. Systeme De Sexe 5.29 min.
6. Maestro 3.32 min.
7. Forever 4.32 min.
8. Spiral 3.25 min.
9. Nvr Say Nvr 4.04 min.
10. Dystopain Girl 5.03 min.
11. Look At U3.50 min.
12. Stranded 3.59 min.
13. Disease 3.58 min.
14. Futura (DTA Mix) 4.29 min.
Andreas Torneberg
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