(Luaka Bop/The Planet Company)

Or, the perils of signing to a label

One of the great benefits about being a complete musical unknown is that you have the freedom to do pretty much whatever you can, even if that’s not exactly the same thing as doing whatever you want. If you’re Javelin, that means you can put out CDRs and mixtapes that sample a whole bunch of unnamed sources, and distribute your EPs in record sleeves purchased from thrift stores with your band’s logo stencilled over the top. Success has its price, however: if you’re Javelin, you’re picked up David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label and suddenly you have to either clear those samples or write new parts that replicate their functions, and the mastering engineer wants to buff the scuzz of your sound. It’s to the New York duo’s credit that Javelin have made that transition as seamlessly as possible, although the odds have been stacked against them: those who fell in love with their genre-hopping mixtapes, CDRs and EPs will find plenty to love in No Más, which maintains that intriguing blend of FM rock-isms, early hip hop beats, lounge music, and Latin cheese that made their name. The issue is that some of the songs overstay their welcome: early ideas sketched out to full-length tracks aren’t so much developed as extended, so although No Más boasts a healthy 15 tracks I can’t help but wish they’d been bold enough to deliver 21 shorter, more concentrated pieces instead. But if it’s a good time you’re after, call Javelin: they may not be as lithe as they once were, but they’re still doing it right.

***½

CHAD PARKHILL

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