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Aug 26, 2014So much exuberance can be overwhelming when digested in a single sitting. Better to let the record seep in over a number of weeks.
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Aug 26, 2014If they’re trying to replicate the excess that sometimes comes with a night out, they’ve succeeded grandly. For home listening, on the other hand, it feels like overindulgence.
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MojoSep 12, 2014Basement Jaxx's energy and vision appears to be undiminished. [Oct 2014, p.93]
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Aug 26, 2014Basement Jaxx has an inclusive spirit that defines their approach to both making music and disseminating it, and that vibe defines Junto more than any single style or song.
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Aug 25, 2014Despite a promisingly funky EP last autumn, it's still a welcome surprise to hear them sounding fresh and invigorated on their seventh album.
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Aug 25, 2014Even if Junto isn't quite as brilliant as Basement Jaxx's early EPs or nearly flawless first three albums, it doesn't sound irrelevant or like the duo is chasing after past glories either--instead, it's some of their most exciting music in quite a while.
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MagnetAug 18, 2014Junto is a jolt, a juggernaut, an absolute joyride. [No. 112, p.53]
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Aug 28, 2014Junto stands out not because it is breaking new ground, but because it illustrates how Basement Jaxx's patented busy-sounding tracks continue to be the superior version of what everyone else who is copying them is doing.
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Aug 26, 2014Nothing new, then, but the Jaxx's sound returns re-energised. Call it the Disclosure effect.
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Aug 26, 2014Song-for-song, then, Junto isn’t an unqualified success, and might not impress any outer-space musicologists anytime soon. It does, however, show us Basement Jaxx in transition, trying to paint maximalist strokes from a minimalist palette.
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Aug 26, 2014It's a refreshing kick box to a dance scene full of mindless trendhopping.
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Aug 25, 2014It’s a lot more ambitious and experimental--more often than not, anyway--than previous releases. When it stumbles, it’s merely fleeting. There’s no doubt that their reputation is intact.
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Aug 22, 2014Junto is yet another solid album of party anthems to--as promised in "Unicorn"--"get your body jumpin'" this Summer.
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Aug 19, 2014It’s okay that this seventh album has no obvious breakout or festival showstopper.
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Alternative PressAug 18, 2014As was true in those bygone days, the hippieish uplift can get a little fuzzy, but the bass-rattling jolt of "Buffalo" will clear your head--and fill the floor--fast. [Sep 2014, p.104]
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Aug 18, 2014If you expect anything that deviates from their cemented formula or a radical reinvention, then Junto is not for you. If you are happy to enjoy the ride while it lasts, it is the perfect soundtrack to an Indian summer.
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Aug 28, 2014The result is a late-summer collection that won’t dry up as soon as pools are drained and waterways freeze over.
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Aug 27, 2014While Junto is at least happy enough to lift spirits, it feels like they've left it to others to reintroduce anarchy to the dancefloor.
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Sep 2, 2014Junto holds few surprises and its not the strongest album to sit in their catalogue, but it is reassuring to know that the boys are still making the music they love for a global dance audience.
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Q MagazineAug 29, 2014An album that delivers plenty of thrills, even if the spills are now to be found elsewhere. [Oct 2014, p.104]
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Aug 21, 2014There may not be a standout track here--a Romeo or a Red Alert--and the desire to show their range (almost every track fuses a different style, from dancehall to trap or tropicalia) dilutes the effect of the whole. In each song, though, there'll be a small detail that hints at the skill of Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton as producers.
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Aug 15, 2014Even in their diminished current form, Basement Jaxx still have a facility for turning pure cheese--dusty pianos scales, boilerplate diva-soul squawking, and tacky synthetic brass sections with "Yamaha" stamped on the side--into unabashed cheesy fun.
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UncutAug 15, 2014Tracks here borrow from the likes of Breach and Disclosure, and, as on "Buffalo," can be weedily underpowered where they once impressively unhinged. [Sep 2014, p.69]
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Sep 10, 2014It's nice indeed, but it may leave you craving something a little stronger.
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Aug 26, 2014For the most part, Basement Jaxx are coloring within the lines on Junto, which leads to disappointing results.
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Aug 19, 2014It sometimes feels as though the sun has risen and those attempting to keep the party alive are fighting a losing battle. And a carnival with fighting of any kind is surely missing the point.
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Aug 22, 2014On paper, Junto (Spanish for ‘together’) should make for an eclectic, flag-waving affair--but sadly many of its disparate parts blissfully miss the mark.