Javelin

No Más (Luaka Bop, 2010)

For: The Go! Team, Junior Senior, Max Tundra

Byline: Chillwave marches on, but in an intriguing new direction, pulling samples and stylistic influences previously unexplored within the genre, resulting in a uniquely fun experience sure to find its way into indie-kid mix-tapes for months to come. Originally published on www.inyourspeakers.com. Used by permission by inyourspeakers, LLC.

Please read full review here

...Javelin are at their best when their ideas are grounded, focused, and fully realized, and at their worst when they’re not, and the divide is fairly easy to recognize. The more clear-cut, single-worthy tracks find Javelin in top form. The best of these, “Oh! Centra,” is marvelously done—infectious, fun, and well constructed with a catchy hook, goofy rap (in a weird, hilarious chipmunk voice waxing about kangaroos, cats, and strange yet-to-be-coined dances like something called “the monkey foot”), and overall flow of a great hip hop track complete with stylish breaks in the beat and culminating with a wind down in the mix....

...But if we can indeed treat this as the singles collection it sounds like, we can start to dig into where No Más is an exciting triumph. Musically, Javelin provide a lot of flavors to digest, and they’re all equally tasty, defined, and blended to proportionate perfection. There’s soul, R&B, electro, breakbeat, hip hop, funk, and even old school sit-com-like themes: Javelin’s influences are fractured, diverse, and combine abstractly in a way that manages to be weird without delving into outsider territory or holding pop culture at arm’s length. “Intervales Theme” and “Susie Cues” have the feel of the Go! Team jamming on the corner of Sesame Street while “Dep” finds the band slowing the tempo down into a soulful ELO-style ballad complete with mellow cellos and wah-wah-ed and warbled guitars. The beats have a percussive pep as snares are always kept appropriately tight and crisp making the backbeats really pop while samples and instruments remain varied and diverse, ranging from flutes to kalimbas, offering a uniquely layered, multi-textured sound....

—Craw'z 5/4/2010

Javelin via Luaka Bop Official Website