No Problem

Jamaica

Released on 8/23/10 by [PIAS] Cooperative
Main artists: Jamaica
Genre: Alternative & Indie

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Before talking about the French duo Jamaica and their debut album, No Problem, you really need to tackle the whole Phoenix thing. Basically, Antoine Hilaire and Flo Lyonnet sound like their fellow countrymen in almost every way. The same clipped guitars, the same tightly wound drums, the same indie rock/electronic hybrid production style; even the vocals are roughly the same -- forceful at times, sweetly melodic at others. Add to that the fact that some of the tracks on the record sound like dead ringers for Phoenix at various stages of their career and you have to accept that Jamaica are Phoenix wannabes. You also have to accept that they do a very good job of it and even add some fun tricks to the basic template. The occasional heavy metal guitar riffage, the sometimes snidely sarcastic lyrics, and the spotless production by Justice's Xavier De Rosnay all work to differentiate Jamaica a little from their heroes. At their best, like on the super hooky "I Think I Like U 2" or the insistent rocker "Short and Entertaining," they manage to create something that stands on its own. The rest of the time the songs are entertaining, but just a little too derivative to fully embrace. In the end, whether or not you like the album may be down to how much you like Phoenix and the sound they created and perfected. If you really, really love them and need a stopgap to help you endure the wait until they release another album, then Jamaica will be a nice placeholder. Otherwise you may want to cherry-pick the handful of tracks that stand out and hope for something a little more unique next time.

© Tim Sendra /TiVo

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No Problem

Jamaica

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