Jokers Of The Scene - End Scene

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  • It sounds like Jokers Of The Scene are enthusiastic record collectors. The Toronto duo's songs borrow parts from disparate genres and weld them into glossy hybrids, suggesting an encyclopedic knowledge of dance music. It's a quality that makes Linus Booth and Chris Macintyre appealing and easy to listen to. Over an impressive number of EPs for Fool's Gold, they've carved out a style defined more by its keen musicality and high production values than anything else. On their debut album, End Scene (released on Throne Of Kanada, AKA Throne Of Blood and New Kanada), they streamline their various influences into '80s-leaning computer funk, full of slap bass and gated drums, and padded it with the lush textures of trance and progressive house. It's like comfort food at a gourmet restaurant: you know all the ingredients, but you've never had them put together quite like this. Even if the duo have found an aesthetic to focus on this time around, they still use the album format as an opportunity to show off everything they can do. End Scene opens with the exquisite ambience of "Umbilical Chords," before jumping into playful funk with "Pop Shop" and then anxious balladry with "Risk Business"—and that's just the first side of this double LP. Tempos bounce from 92 BPM all the way up to 125 BPM (and back again), but the LP still manages to find a comfortable pace. Booth and Macintyre sound at ease on End Scene, where even the more pompous elements are meted out in luxurious slow motion. The billowing melodies on "Channels For Success," for example, collect around the trebly drum track like clouds, slowly lifting it higher and higher. Occasionally Jokers Of The Scene indulge in chintzy, tongue-in-cheek sounds. "This Is Newsbeat" sounds like the punchy synth music that might have introduced a local news show in the '90s, all urgent arpeggios and booming drums, while "Hunk Of Punk" could be the soundtrack to an aerobics video. These more lighthearted moments are offset by slower interludes that have an awe-inspiring scale to them. "Stoned In Death Valley" and "Pretension And Release" evoke a vast landscape, made up of gaudy colours and retro-rendered 3D textures. Only a few tracks are danceable, like the acidic "Industrial Blonde," but even that one is built with lightweight foundations that feel as reliable as a rusty Pacer. After a while End Scene's smooth glide can start to feel complacent. At times the album calls to mind the idea of "record collector rock," a term Simon Reynolds used describe bands who could pump out convincing facsimiles of any style or sub-genre, often without much feeling or panache. Booth and Macintyre fall victim to that fate occasionally—though only occasionally. More of an impressive record than an engaging one, End Scene is so pitch-perfect that it doesn't always register an emotional impact, but it's unusual enough to stand up on its own terms anyway.
  • Tracklist
      01. Umbilical Chords 02. Pop Shop 03. Risk Business 04. Channels For Success 05. Home Video Is Wherever I'm With You 06. Stoned In Death Valley 07. This Is Newsbeat 08. Hunk Of Punk 09. An Invisible Anthem 10. Industrial Blonde 11. Pretension And Release
RA