“from africa to malaga” - jj (from jj n° 2 )
2010 may have already provided several notable new releases, but before delving into any of those I first feel the need to post on something I overlooked from 2009 - jj’s jj n° 2 . Honestly, I know very little about this band other than that they’re from Sweden and have made some curious choices regarding marketing their album. Truth? I’d read much about jj from a variety of reliable and trustworthy sources - and all things positive - but the combination of their annoying album name (jj n° 2 ? Seriously?) and the giant cannabis leaf blasted across the album’s cover led me to pass them on by.
I now freely and publicly admit my mistake. My husband (who, thankfully, is less judgmental than me), has recently been playing this album on repeat, and imagine my shock when I heard that this beautiful, ambient sound was made by the very same band I had long since dismissed. jj’s sound is world music meets trip-hop meets blissfully lovely electro-pop, and it would be a shame to ignore them on the basis of a pot leaf. It’s surprisingly sophisticated fare, fantastically chill and incredibly easy on the ears. So, give ‘er a listen.
(Bonus? jj is set to tour with xx this March. Because, well, of course they are.)
