After Robots

My new favorite band in the whole world is the Afro-futurist four piece BLK JKS. From Johannesburg and Soweto, South Africa, these guys take the progressive rock blueprint and twist it and turn it until they have made it their own. TV On The Radio is a good reference point, but BLK JKS expand on the sound, adding township blues, avant jazz (with horns supplied by the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble) and edgy dub to their art rock/post punk brew.

BLK JKS - MolalatladiTheir debut album After Robots rocks and rolls, sways to the tribal beats, and veers from polyrhythmic party jams to cacophonous skronk. It was recorded in the US with Brandon Curtis (Secret Machines) at the helm - a man who knows his prog and understands the value of a good space jam. The band sings in English and the different tribal tongues of their homeland. It occasionally sounds like stuff you've heard before, but always ends up in surprising places. It is fierce and uncompromising and vital. Fantastic. Also available is the Mystery EP. SIART highly recommends both!