In one of Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock's short stories, a man jumps on his horse and rides off in all directions. This is somewhat the impression which I got on my first listen to this, Soul Junk's latest full length effort. Where 1955 seemed to indicate a band with varying interests, 1956 was a fairly coherent rock-tinged, hip-hop laced effort, and was eminently listenable. 1957 seems to be heading in the direction of 1956, in that it is heavy on the hip-hop, but with a decidedly different flavor.
Where 1956 was largely pop music, 1957 is decidedly not, for the most part. This is not to say that it isn't good; on the contrary, this may be one of the best albums Soul Junk has put out. The thing is that people who think of Soul Junk in terms of their work before 1956 will perhaps have a hard time figuring out what happened.
1957 is, as was mentioned before, essentially a hip-hop album, though not without the traces of eccentric instrumentation, effect-laden vocals, and such that listeners have come to expect from Soul Junk. As a result, the guitar-based rock songs with lyrics lifted directly from the Scriptures are missing on this project. Is this a good or a bad thing? That is something for each listener to decide for him- or herself. For me, one of the things I appreciated most about Soul Junk was their ability to set the Scripture to instantly recognizable tunes, as on their recent EP 1942. In that way, I found this project a little disappointing.
However, with Soul Junk recording and releasing as much as they are right now, it isn't surprising that each project takes on a flavour of its own. Galaxalag (Glen (Galaxy) Galloway, the founding member/multi-instrumentalist/MC) and Slo-Ro (second MC/beats/other instruments), the members of Soul Junk for this project, do a convincing job of mixing the beats and filling the songs with clever musical hooks. Lyrically, Galaxalag is very strong this time out, if a little heavy on the "Look at me, I'm an MC" vibe at times.
If there's one thing that can be said about this album, it is that it makes it really hard to guess where Soul Junk's ever-experimental style will land next, but having delved as deeply into hip-hop and rap as deeply as they have on this album, I have a feeling there is something else up Galaxalag's sleeve for the next project.
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #98Reviewed by Chris RoseIn a world where every band is represented by a person in a large crowded party, Soul-Junk is the friend who is crazy, loud and obnoxious — but definitely a fresh breath of entertainment. 1957, like all previous years/albums, is a chaotic mess of scratching, laid back hip-hop, intriguing samples and anything else randomly floating around the members' minds. In a way, Soul-Junk is very similar to…Opus 2002Reviewed by Jason MoreheadI consider Soul-Junk's 1956 a watershed album of sorts, a delirious hip-hop masterpiece that wedded outright Christian ideology with a mad scientist's mixture of jungle, drum n' bass, pop, and a couple genres that may not even have names. Every listen to it was like a breath of fresh air, and was enough to make this skinny white boy to bob his head, pump his fist in the air, and rhyme along.…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Ken MuellerSoul Junk is a band that has gone through quite a lot of changes and musical transformations over the years. In their earliest incarnation it was raw, punked out, jazz-laced, trippy tuneage. In more recent years the band has moved into a more hip-hoppy direction. With 1957, Glenn Galaxy and SloRo are the main collaborators, with a nice fusion of the old and new. The hip-hop is still up front with…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Jason MoreheadI consider Soul-Junk's 1956 a watershed album of sorts, a delirious hip-hop masterpiece that wedded outright Christian ideology with a mad scientist's mixture of jungle, drum n' bass, pop, and a couple genres that may not even have names. Every listen to it was like a breath of fresh air, and was enough to make this skinny white boy to bob his head, pump his fist in the air, and rhyme along.…Similar sounding releases
2002ADeeMSweet Talking Your Brain
2002Luke GeratyThe Before I Sold Out EP
2000Anti Pop ConsortiumTragic Epilogue
2000InfesticonsGun Hill Road
2005L.A. SymphonyDisappear Here
2005Sharlok PoemsThe Movement
