BASEMENT JAXX
Crazy Itch Radio
XL Recordings
· Sounds like treading water.
The cover art for Crazy Itch Radio features a cut ’n’ paste image of a dog with a radio for a body, with rays of block-cut colour radiating from behind it, overtop a strand of pixels on a gray pencil-doodled background. After repeated listens, the cover becomes somewhat symbolic of the patchwork sounds inside. Unlike previous releases, there is no definable theme or groove that unites the record’s 14 tracks. Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, the brains behind Basement Jaxx, admit as much, interspersing fake radio addresses to serve as bridges between "sets."
Each track displays journeyman steadfastness, but none really stand out amidst all the audio clutter. Some are eminently danceable – you almost expect Donna Summers to make a guest appearance, while others contain a whimsical, tropical theme. There’s enough good material for two or three EPs, which is perhaps what the Jaxx should have produced, allowing the themes to emerge more clearly in the smaller groupings. Instead, things sound as if they’re just cleaning house with a new album for their new label, despite having released a "best of" last year. Hopefully Crazy Itch Radio is just a placeholder, something to buy the duo more time instead of marking the end of the line.
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