The Jag

Album review

After signing to Virgin's Astralwerks/Science electronica division, the Micronauts generated high expectations and substantial hype with their song, "The Jag." As an edited three and a half-minute song, "The Jag (Radio Edit)," functioned as a nice example of the murky area where electronica becomes pop music and vice versa. The song uses some strong vocal hooks -- "Ohh, baby, what you done to me/you make me feel so good inside/everything's gonna be/close to you/you make me feel so alive" -- some tame electro funk, some disco strings samples, and some samples of women moaning in moments of celebration. In other words, the ingredients are firmly positioned for a wonderful pop song trading guitars and drums for electronica's most proven formal motifs. Of course, three and a half-minutes is a pretty short time for any strong musical ideas to evolve beyond simple presentation. Thankfully, the Micronauts also offer an 11-minute version of the song that takes these same musical ideas and stretches them to the breaking point by adding much more funk and beats without diffusing the song's melodic core centered on the vocal hooks. This full-length version makes one tremendously eager for more. It's no wonder Astralwerks and Science were so adamant about getting this song heard, even if they had to press a CD just to get this song into the hands of the public. This French duo may have gotten initial attention due to the unprecedented success of fellow French artists Daft Punk and Air, but "The Jag" proves that there is substantial evidence for the excitement.

© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo