JJ- From Arica to Malada

So there was a time when I was 17 and so heavily influenced by Lagwagon and other punk staples that I used to heckle yuppies on the subway and in other places around Hong Kong. I thought I had it all figured out. I saw them as incredibly lame with their suits, cell phones and presumably dull music.
Looks like things have come full circle. My closet is full of slacks and Brooks Brothers dress shirts. I have a phone that gets work email. And now I think I like world music.

JJ is a mysterious Swedish band that has put out an EP and full length with another promised this spring. It sounds a lot like Enya. But there is something very slippery about them. The song From Africa to Malaga sounds like it could be the score of a cruise ship commercial but on a deeper lyrics there is a darkness that could draw in the 17 yr old punk that is still hanging on inside of me. Yet on a surface level it's pleasant enough that I played it without hesitation while driving around an out-of-state upper management at work.

The third track is very hip-hop. Much like Discovery this band has a fascination with rap. Thankfully they don't actually try it. The song Ecstasy is about as urban you can get without actually spitting raps. It's an ambient cover of Lil' Wayne's Lollipop, sung about a drug fueled club night out in Miami. Before you write this off as trash please note that they pay homage to the ultra clean rapping Will Smith.

Enjoy it because it's great and don't care what the guys in your high school band would say if they knew you listened to world music.