Review Summary: "Forward" is jazzy electronica that often packs a punch
TM Juke's sophomore LP is odd and often enjoyable. Though the album occasionally goes off on nondescript tangents, it's more often than not a journey through a jazzy electronic soundscape.
The album's first two tracks are also its strongest. The first, "Foreword," is a layered electronic tune (complete with bells and percussion). Clocking in at under two minutes long, the tune would probably be better if it were longer, but it's nonetheless memorable and a definite highlight. Following it is "Damn," which is buoyed both by fantastic vocals from Norwegian vocalist Kinny and an odd, haunting electronic backing. The tune defies song structure - it has one long verse, then the chorus, then that's it - and the beeping synths sound rather different from other electronic artists', and definitely different from what's on the radio. Both tracks confirm the thesis that TM Juke is a musical oddball. Other highlights include the tribal-sounding "Grounded in Fargo," which evokes an airport and a jungle simultaneously, and the percussion-laden "Life, Rain, Fall," which could very well be the album's most enchanting track with its experimental arrangement and sound effects.
The rest of the album is good, too, though it at times borders on being nondescript. The Alice Russell collaboration sends out retro vibes, but simply doesn't pack the punch of "Damn." Likewise, his cover of Prince's "Electric Chair" is pretty enough, though it mainly demonstrates that TM Juke is no Prince. And some of the songs clock in at over five minutes but consist of little more than a thirty-second loop of mildly-intriguing instrumentation: the most interesting part of "Pencils for Dolphins" is its title, while "Come Away," feels like spiced-up elevator music.
The record resists classification as jazz or dance with all its might. Sometimes, "electronic" seems like the only appropriate label, as is the case of "Bees on Mars," which consists mainly of a tropical beat and many bleeps and bloops.
"Forward," while far from being a perfect record, deserves recognition for its incredible arrangements and production. Fans of Air or Telepopmusik will probably approve of the record, but so will fans of creativity and truly alternative music.
