MUSIC REVIEW: JAMES PANTS - 'JAMES PANTS'

Self-Titled & Sharper Than Ever, an Album Which Spreads its Electronic Roots

By: Andrew Shaw

May 5, 2011

(Stones Throw Records) Perhaps James Pants, the new album from James Pants, is the clearest version of the artist’s vision to date. With this title, the artist may as well be saying, "This, and everything about this, is me." Known as a bit of a virtuoso instrumentalist and notoriously prolific as a producer of highly danceable, unusually seductive sounds, previous incarnations of James Pants have sometimes bemused as much as they have enthralled.

In the past, he has offered tracks that lifted the most spent of club-bangers and deposited them back on the dance floor.  Nothing particularly high-octane or overtly energized in the usual sense, James Pants just sets traps, barbs, and seductions that lure you in. Well-constructed electronica that’s as cerebral as it is sexy, something happens on a physical level that then makes sense in reflection. Beats are cascading and irregular as often as they’re certain and driven. Melodies are easy as they are confrontational.  The tracks of James Pants are not usual club fare, but they’re also just what clubs need in order to keep things interesting.

Familiar synth sounds echo soundtracks from mid-'80s cop shows. They tease proceedings, but they’re not overused. “Kathleen,” with bubbled laser effects and easy slap-bass, has all the sweet-sad potency of a relationship’s closing credits. Substances are sprinkled with an awareness of how all this may sound. Yes, it’s tongue-in-cheek, but it’s also delivered with a genuine love. Can you remember how we danced?  The moves may look unusual now, but we really felt ‘em then.

The soundtracky vibe doesn’t end with “Kathleen.” Things now seem expansive, more thematic -- less susceptible to trend and more established in themselves.  Earlier releases are easier to date; they sound like the time of recording. This collection, which blends effects and borrows approaches from all genres of electronic history, carries an air of timelessness. 

“Body On Elevator,” weighing in at just over a minute long, is a prime example of capabilities. Distorted waves of synthesized brass carry a sound of flute and some kind of other woodwind. There's a beat that represents nothing but stress in the way a loose tooth begs to be tongued, or how something horrific at the side of the highway takes attention from the road ahead. This isn’t intended to be a comfortable listening experience.  Intensions are realized.  The articulation of scene is great. 

Thankfully, James Pants understands running order and the benefits of contrast.  Respite from the shapeless sense of anxiety comes with “Darlin’,” a Doo-Wop homage that perfectly counters the minute-long darkness with a warmer, retro-space-age-type ditty. The sugary lyrics, processed through a machine that must have had an ‘ethereal button,’ are genuinely sweet with only a twist of citric irony. Everything is smooth but for the presence of a slightly abrasive guitar distorting itself throughout.

This is an album of unusual continuity.  Moods and scope are varied. Tools and tunes are from a variety of influences.  It’s a genuine mix of textures, almost like we’re sorting through the random electronica rack to assemble something new, but it’s not that obvious, and it’s certainly not derivative. Maybe a better analogy is that James Pants is a collection that exposes and then celebrates the roots and branches of the artist’s family tree. Influence here married with an influence from there. Common traits are shared, but this is all new-born stuff. Because of careful selective breeding, each track contains only the strongest genetic traits of its ancestors. Elements may confuse or bewilder, but that’s good since it expects emotional intelligence from the listener. Maybe you’ve been hanging with James Pants at parties and clubs for a while, but now it’s time to move to the next level.  It’s time to meet the family.

Standout Tracks: “A Little Bit Closer,” “Beta,” “Body In Elevator”

For Fans Of: Big Pauper, Daft Punk, Gorillaz