Junior Senior
Hey Hey My My Yo Yo
Rykodisc
By Eavvon O'Neal
Junior Senior's Hey Hey My My Yo Yo takes "a little piece of rhyme and a little of the beat" and jazzercises it to the max. Clean loops and simple lyrics pump out of these grampa-sweatered, Danish musicians with relative ease and makes for an excellent follow up to D-D-Don't Stop The Beat. While they may not create the perfect rhymes, and often lack reason, they do build an album whose poppy drive and dancablity make it an effort worth house partying to.
Junior Senior has a firm holding in funk and dance pop, with a splash of disco glamour for flavor. This allows them to jive over a collection of different sounds, without the transitions sounding too forced or muddled. "Itch U Can't Scratch" pops with a consistent slap bass, and digital plucking to complement. The vocal call-and-response feel sits mid-mix, allowing the track to consume it. This vibe is upped in BPM, and stretches out over a thin guitar backdrop on "We R The Hand Claps," creating the brightness of a Motown ‘70s sitcom theme song. "Ur A Girl" has more of a melodic drive, but still in the Motown vein, which differs from "No, No, No's", which feels more like a Beatles redux with three part harmonies a-plenty. "Happy Rap" has a subtle uprock feel, with diverse percussion that adds to the b-boy feel filtered through a warm shine.
With an unwavering rock drum, and The Say Hello, Wave Goodbye EP has a similar feel with more experimental synths, and makes it a sweet addition to Hey Hey My My Yo Yo. "Stranded On An Island Alone" erupts complicated rudimentary accompaniment. This more technical feel is continued for the entire EP. "Headphone Song" and "I Can't Rap, I Can't Sing But I Would Do Anything" are perfect examples, but "U and Me" wins out as one of the biggest tracks on the EP, with progressing twinkles and gritty bass syths that conclude the album with epic style.
Together as a full work, Junior Senior’s sophomore release isn't as explosive as D-D-Don't Stop the Beat, but has aspects that still make this an elemental triumph. The sounds are larger and the rhymes and lyrics playful and bright, yet the songs not as tight as the prior album. Still, this opens Junior Senior to newer experiments and further expands the musical possibilities they are capable of, making this an overall success for loud blips and subtle pangs.
|
