Music
14.06.2010 / The BLK JKS release ‘ZOL!’ as the world arrives on Africa’s doorstep
ZOL!, the BLK JKS’ newly released five-track EP is currently streaming on KCRW. Click here to listen.
Afro prog rockers the BLK JKS are fresh from their lengthy American sojourn, where they have been touring extensively after the success of their debut full-length album, After Robots, which secured them a SAMA for Best Alternative Music Album last year. More recently, the American soul/pop singer Alicia Keys expressed her excitement over the band on her Twitter page a few days before she performed a Brenda Fassie song with them at the World Cup kick-off concert on Thursday (10/06/2010).
Now Zol! has been released hot on the heels of all this brouhaha and it is set to spread like a wild fire, especially during all the soccer fever. 
Whilst the BLK JKS’ music has got a discordant edge to it, it is a far cry from being a cacophony. Their songs climb over the barbed wire fences of convention and take to the streets in a harmonious kind of uproar. The BLK JKS are sticking to their guns on this EP, but that isn’t to say they are denying themselves access to new avenues.
The opening track, “Ietys”, is a trippy industrial rock sounding number. It is however clear from the onset that any attempt at categorising the BLK JKS’ sound will only send you on a wild goose chase. The song does not instantaneously recall their 'afro' roots that have characterised their sound so far. But with sultry guitar work and infectious vocal harmonies, “Ietys” is a brilliant opener to this widely anticipated release.
The song flows into “Bogobe”, which has an eerie intro reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s ambient overtures. As soon as the guitars start to howl and the vocals start to whisper, however, the soundscape is transformed into dusty, African plains; conjuring up the atmosphere of a smoky dawn after a bushfire, with the perturbed voices of ancestral spirits in the air, growing louder and louder, like a chant. This sound recalls the mystic afro-rock ‘n roll tales told by Hawk (also known as Jo’burg Hawk), a South African psychedelic afro-rock group of the seventies.
Halfway through the EP, the title track, “Zol!”, breaks the tension of the first two songs; it has a catchy, uplifting vibe. It opens up with the Jozi street chant, “zol after zol!” – ‘zol’ being slang for cannabis – and the line “I can roll and shoot at the same time!” is repeated as a chorus. Aesthetically, the title track sounds very similar to Johnny Clegg’s elated Zulu choir anthems, but in its content, the song makes the band seem more like Clegg’s noir counterparts.
This upbeat break is followed by the heavy number, “Paradise”, a song that returns to that elusive BLK JKS sound: it is full of intricate textures as the tempo and melody change before you get to wrap your head around it. The song starts off with a catchy guitar lick that is elevated by its haunting tone. This melody is repeated and mimicked by the vocals throughout the song. Like putting a leash on a wild animal, the central guitar lick binds together all the ‘stray’ parts in this tune.
The EP ends off with “Mzabalazo”, which the band played at the World Cup opening concert on Thursday evening. This piece is visual and almost violent in the way it interprets an anti-apartheid protest chant borne out of the uproar and the frenzy that characterised those turbulent times.
Although Zol! only comprises of five songs, it is an engaging musical statement and makes for a brilliant interlude to a future full-length album. Besides, the BLK JKS have already started to pave their way as one of South Africa’s most significant rock ‘n roll exports.
Tags: Rock