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$12.99 CD
$19.99 LP+MP3
$9.99 MP3
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JOKER
The Vision
(4AD)
 "The Vision"
"On My Mind"
With so many electronic producers these days having the opportunity to present full-length albums on more mainstream, non-electronic-based labels, the stakes are high. Along with this sort of opportunity comes the chance to stumble and fall, and how to weigh crossover appeal against diehard satisfaction, and above all how to craft a quality product that can rise above the fray artistically, is still a problem for many. Liam McLean a/k/a Joker seems to be stuck in just this sort of artistic Catch 22 on his debut album for 4AD, pairing his exceptional talent as a producer with a host of guest vocalists, making for some standout moments, but some flat ones too, and maybe not a great album. Like past records by Roni Size, Skream, Terror Danjah, or Magnetic Man, the heavy involvement of British R&B singers and rappers becomes an awkward and unnecessary crutch, sometimes smothering the pure essence of the production.
Joker's rise began with his burning 12" singles like "Holly Brook Park," "Purple City" and "Tron" (the only one included here), establishing what would be known as the 'purple' sound within dubstep circles, a thick and funky synth sound that merged the electro-funk of '80s Prince and Rick James with the snappy beats of dubstep. It was a magnetic fusion that spawned many imitators, and in some ways, Joker is just taking this sound to the next level here, crafting modern dance-floor R&B with the same building blocks of his original breakthrough productions. Yet his collaborations yield mixed results, and in the end the whole thing just feels a bit misguided. No doubt his production still shines at times, with a soulful mix of Dam-Funk meets Zomby, but the added vocals (and lukewarm songwriting) sometimes weaken the outcome. Thankfully, there are several instrumental moments where he let's his fuzzy and distorted synths do the singing to even things out, but the sequencing is odd, with all the instrumentals coming in the first half of the record. (I discovered a little trick though -- when played in reverse order, the flow feels more like a new-school R&B album, with the latter half becoming more tracks than songs.) A highlight, which sits in the middle of the record, is the title track, his collaboration with Jessie Ware (featured heavily on SBTRKT's debut album as well). It beautifully shows how Joker's dark sonic palette and weighty rhythm techniques can be fused with pop song structure, and the song would make La Roux, Katy B, Uffie, or Lady Gaga jealous -- heavy and thick, passionate and piercing.
Following Zomby's excellent 4AD debut, I think my expectations were too high on this one, and at first I was let down by Joker's mixed bag of tricks; yet upon repeated listens (and playing around with the sequence), the album feels better, and there are some really interesting moments where R&B and dubstep become interchangeable. He even takes a stab at updating new jack swing! For all its flaws, the highlights outweigh them, leaving a not perfect yet still interesting exploration in illustrating what black music can sound like in the current millennium. Fans of any of the above mentioned along with the trance-dub-hop-step of Araabmuzik or Wiley may find some diamonds in the rough, jams to add into your listening rotation -- there are more than a few. [DG]
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