Customer Reviews

D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

the other day i gave in and picked up a copy of junior senior's d-d-don't stop the beat. while my indie rock cred filled head screamed, "no!" the devil on my shoulder (dressed in mc hammer pants and a trucker hat) said "get it!" so, as usual, i went with the shoulder boy's opinion and got it.

so happy i did.

the album not only makes you shake your ass from the dance aspect, but at heart it's a soulful rock album as well. it's garage-y at times and electronic at others, but always maintains its sense of earthiness and analog vibe. "move your feet," undoubtedly the best track and the album's obvious single ( i just picture them walking into the record company and signing right away ) makes you wanna jump out of your room and head to the nearest club.

"chicks and d*icks" is a hilarious countersexual song which showcases the affiliation of the two (junior and senior) and the rest of album is rollicking and fun, too.

get the chip off your shoulder and get this cd.

I found this CD while browsing around at Barnes & Noble. The colorful artwork caught my eye initially, and I was in a strange mood, so I bought it without even knowing or thinking about what it was. (Technically it was in the "Pop/Rock" section, but that could mean, well, anything.) As soon as I got in the car, I popped it in. I was extremely pleased. I'm a big fan of the dancy/electronic/funk/hip-hop thing, and this is a fantastic blend of all those things and more. These songs will get stuck in your head. They will make you tap your feet. Whether dance music is your hobby or your guiltiest pleasure, this is an album you can't miss.

Let it first be known that this album is VERY silly and cheesy. Don't listen to this expecting the next "Abbey Road." However, for the style of music that Junior Senior creates, it is pretty entertaining although kind of forgettable longterm (though there's an odd charm with some of the songs that make you like them, a sort of guilty pleasure). Unfortunately, the second track on the album, "Rhythm Bandits", has an EXTREMELY better single version than what's on the album which completely baffles me (it's one of my favorites by Junior Senior). Junior Senior is entirely about fun, and if you listen to it without that in mind then you'll be sorely disapointed. If you don't like pure fun and silly albums then you'll be disappointed. Not essential at all, but buy it if you are looking for a silly and dancy album or if you have nothing better to get.

Highlights include:
"Go Junior Go Senior"
"Move Your Feet"
"Shake Your Coconuts"
"Boy Meets Girl"
"Shake Me Baby"
"C'mon" (barely)
"Good Girl Bad Boy" (barely)
"Dynamite" (barely)

The Swedish duo named Junior Senior has come up with the most irrelevant CD of our time, but incidentally, at under 40 minutes, D-D-Don't Stop The Beat also ranks as one of 2003's best.

With a knack for silly lyrics and strong danceable beats, the duo has created a solid album which mixes rock, dance, retro pop and electro beats into a sublime concoction with even a faint tinge of western.

But any way they sing, dance or rave, this CD is just full of fun and makes you wanna get on your feet.

I'm in high school right now, and that means I have to put up with preps. The shallow, stuck-up, immoral, idiotic superficial disgraces to any classroom. They spend 90% of their time chatting on their cell phones, applying (...)make-up that they don't need, and going to "parties" (if you can even call them that) where they get "drunk off their ass".

At their parties, they play mainstream rap drivel such as 50 Cent, The Game, Mike Jones, and Lil' Scrappy. I don't go to parties (my idea of a party is sitting alone in the dark at night listening to Slowdive), but I can imagine how awesome it would be if me and my friends crashed a prep party with Junior·Senior's "D-D-Don't Stop The Beat!"

Of course, they'd probaby get all confused as to where their precious bling rap went to, and what this "wEiRd MuZaK" is that's playing, but it doesn't matter. We'd be too busy dancing like maniacs to the insanely catchy techno-pop of the hit single "Move Your Feet", the revved up 60's garage rock of "Chicks and D*cks", and the Sly-and-the-Family-Stone-ish "Boy Meets Girl". Junior·Senior has a lot of variety, and an even larger amount of silliness to back themselves up. Sure, it's kind of dull to listen to when you're not screwing around with your closest buddies, but add them to the mix, and voila! Greatness!

I bet nobody saw this one comin. One big fat Danish dude and one small skinny straight Danish dude have joined forces to make irresistibly danceable electro-punk-garage music that you can't help but shake your rump to. Try as you might, but you won't be able to resist. Is it part of sinister plot for world domination by forcing mankind into a perpetual state of dance fever? Possibly, D-D-Don't Don't Stop The Beat has some definite mind-controlling power, but there hasn't been any evidence to prove their insidious plotting.....yet. But until it can be proven that Junior Senior are trying to turn mankind into a vacant mass of writhing dance slaves, I'll keep listening to D-D-Don't Stop and shaking my booty like it aint no thang.

Seriously now, Junior Senior finally provide something fresh and new to an incestuous music scene that seems content with hyping syrupy, blatantly unoriginal indie bands, churning out countless watered down punkers, horridly under-talented garage bands (who all end up sounding like a poor mans Velvet Underground) and reviving defunct 80's musical styles that should have stayed in that miserable decade. Somehow though, Junior Senior manages to throw them all together, add a pinch of electronic psychedelica, (think: the last minute of any song by The Music) sugary 60's pop music, (think: the beach boys) disco breaking grooves and huzzah, you've got a wacky melange of hand claps, sequenced drum beats, catchy riffs and hilariously simple lyrics. D-D-Don't Stop barrels forth like a funky 32-minute long avalanche of zany dance floor mayhem.

When I first heard "Move Your Feet", I was enthralled. It reminded me of vintage Michael Jackson. When I saw it being performed by two Danish white guys - one heavyset and gay, the other skinny and straight - I was delighted. The rest of the album is equally delightful. Junior Senior's philosophy seems to be that anything goes in the name of fun. Musically, their influences seem to be everything but the kitchen sink: punk, pop, R&B, dance, new wave ... the list goes on and on. Lyrically, they seem to be more single-minded. Most of the songs are about sex and partying. My favorite tracks are "Chicks and D***s", where Junior and Senior compare their respective sexual preferences, and "White Trash", which is about the joys of being, well, white trash. I want these guys to be at every party I go to ...

Junior Senior caught my eyes and ears with the great kickoff single, "Move Your Feet." I honestly could not stop dancing for about half an hour after hearing it repeatedly (I recorded their performance off a talk show). After seeing their clip on TV, I had to get more.

Fast forward to a less than a week later- I buy the album and I'm not disappointed! Being partial to "Move Your Feet," I instantly liked their other fast-paced ear candy, like "Rhythm Bandits" and "Shake Your Coconuts." The first half of the album is more focused on the fast bits.

The second half? More great, jangly jems like "White Trash" and "Dynamite." All of these songs really make it irresistable to get up and boogie all night long! However, listeners get a sweet surprise with slower, mellower tunes (solos by Junior) on "Shake Me Baby" and "Boy Meets Girl." These two songs are more garage band rock, as opposed to "Move Your Feet."

Some people have told me that "Move Your Feet" sounds like disco, and magazine reviews have tended to comment that it sounds like Michael Jackson in his early work. If you're like me, you might overdose on listening to this catchy dance tune. That's why I think the addition of a live version of "Feet" was a good idea- it injects new energy in an already hyper song. The live version sounds as if you're right there in the midst of a crowd at their concert on a hot summer day!

Another great bonus is the video clip of "Move Your Feet." It perfectly matches the frenetic energy of the song, with a crazy cartoon following a diabolical squirrel in video game graphics. I was really upset that I could never catch the video on MTV, so getting it on CD and watching it anytime I wanted to just added to my satisfaction.

All in all, this is one band that somehow made all of their many influences into a great fusion of fun music- to get us united on the dance floor!

PS: A word of caution- don't listen to it in the car too much or you might dance in the car and drive off the road!

I've heard Junior Senior put on quite a show live, and it's easy to imagine while listening to this frenetic set, but just like conversations can come across as banal or simplistic when transcribed, "D-D-Don't Don't" definitely stutters, occasionally snagged in its own groove, with some "umm" and "y'know" peppering the mix as well. Still, while JS has some maturing to do before it reaches the level of a powerhouse like Basement Jaxx, there are standouts at least worth a download while you wait. With "Move Your Feet," Junior Senior crafted the most contagious, overlooked dance gem of 2003. Reminiscent of the Jackson 5, Ohio Players and Sacramento's !!!, the song blazes in a roller disco sort of way. "Chicks and Dicks" channels a '50s girls band sound with a '60s guys garage band intensity. And "Shake Your Coconuts" has the oddly tasty distinction of sounding like Buzzcocks' Pete Shelley fronting KC & the Sunshine Band. Sadly, much of the rest of the album, I've determined after repeated listens, is either filler or musical experiments better to have been aborted. "D-D-Don't" comes across in the same vein as Bis' frenetic beast "New Transistor Heroes," like a kid on two gallons of soda in a fingerpainting competition. It's fun stuff but it's got no soul.

I gotta say, most of the music that I hear today is the same old notes and riffs heard over and over again. But Junior Senior do soemthing new and funky with each and every song and aren't afraid to say they're "Dynamite". "Move Your Feet" is probably one of the best feel good songs ever, it ranks up there with Moby's "Feeling So Real" and Fatboy Slim's "Praise You". Junior Senior will be one of the hottest bands around! I too can't wait til they make their U.S. debut.