Blk Jks "After Robots" 2009****

Wikipedia lists 13 bands in the category South African indie rock groups and another 17 in the category  South African alternative rock groups. Interestingly, based on the photos provided, all except one are white. Blk Jks is the one exception. Could it be that black South Africans resent rock because it is the music of their "former" oppressors? Or is this the result of the cultural ban from the West during the appartheid years? It didn't seem to stop white South Africans from keeping up with the latest developments in rock. Maybe African culture is just rooted too deep for other influences to survive in its shadow. But, in the case of the Blk Jks, survive they did: Besides the traditional African  music influences, traces of indie, new wave, funk and prog rock combine to create a unique musical amalgam often compared to TV on the Radio. Songs alternate between styles and languages (English, Zulu, and Xhosa) and confound music journalists in their attempt to pigeonhole them. Opener "Molalatladi" is the stand-out track and, in its vocals and structure, overtly African. Yes, the spidery guitars come from the Santana/Hendrix rock tradition, but we've seen that before with African bands, most notably Tinariwen and their Malian brethren. "Banna Ba Modimo" is more adventurous, combining Mars Volta's grungy prog with Balkan horns and even a short rap. I'm not sure whether I like it, but I can't help but admire the ambition behind it. "Standby" is their most user-friendly piece yet, an indie rock ballad, sung in English. "Lakeside" is more accomplished, a proggy piece reminiscent of Radiohead. It brought the band unexpected fame (and money, I hope) when it was included in the EA's FIFA 10 Playstation/PC Game. "Taxidermy" features falsetto vocals, noisy guitars and drumming that momentarily gel together only to disintegrate again in chaos. "Kwa Nqingetje" is an almost experimental atmospheric piece and "Skeleton" a dub/funk combination with prominent horns and loud guitars. "Cursor" is a slow and sprawling indie-dub while "Tselane" takes us full circle to Africa. This time, though, it's simplicity itself: just hypnotic vocals and acoustic guitars, providing a much-needed respite from the dense sounds that preceded it. At the time of its circulation, "After Robots" received rave reviews, but (if I'm not mistaken) sold rather poorly. Maybe it was too complicates for the general public. Or maybe it wasn't properly promoted by the record company. In any case, it seems to have disappeared completely . As for the EP and CD that followed it, until I googled them earlier today I didn't even know of their existence. If you like your music to take you to interesting and unexpected places, I suggest you try Blk Jks. You won't regret it...

**** for Molalatladi, Lakeside, Skeleton

*** for Banna Ba Modimo, Standby, Taxidermy, Tselane

** for Kwa Nqingetje, Cursor