Jamiroquai – ‘Too Young To Die’

Guest post by Zac Seidler

As another SeidBro who’s had to sit on the seidelines (pun intended) for far too long, a much-needed day off from my busy schedule has presented me with a chance to assert myself, my musical taste and my writing prowess in this family run business. Blogosphere, nice to meet you, I’m Z the youngest brother, but the only one with a truly rich, profound and deep-seated understanding of music in the family, with a respect and understanding that stems from 10 years of playing the drums, a bit of piano but most importantly the triangle in the school orchestra. To say that “I love music” in writing may seem like a common phrase, however, once you peel away the superficial sound of Kanye’s Vocoder the play/pause function on Calvin Harris’ stolen synth samples, you reach the bare bones, the raw untainted sound of pure music and that’s what I love. Now, call me old school but jazz and funk are what really appeal to me, the soulful power and seemingly endless groove can be heard blasting from my speakers day and night, from Tower Of Power to James Brown and even a bit of Coltrane to mix it up, it has emotion, it has complexity and depth, something today’s 4-chord songs are sadly lacking.

Having received an email from brother J regarding the one and only Jamiroquai and his new album (to reach our shores in late October) I was inspired to write this tirade, to assess the state of dwindling 21st century music. It’s not the CD sales that bother me, or the sold out tours, but the ‘hit’ formula that countless, untalented stars are riding on to achieve success, while many truly gifted musicians are left to suffer. When I saw this email however, detailing the release of Jamiroquai’s 8th studio album, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, Jay Kay in all his shining American Indian head-dress wearing brilliance is here to save music!

From the unstoppable groove of ‘Love Foolosophy’, to the world music extravaganza in ‘Corner Of The Earth’, Jamiroquai has dipped his hand in many a stylistic cookie jar, and each time has reaped the benefits of an oh-so-sweet Betty Crocker delight. His appearance on Top Gear last year was somewhat endearing, having clearly broken the drug-voodoo of past decades, he raced atop the ‘fastest celebrity on track’ leader board and made me ask the question, “will the Jay Kay ever return?” Today, with the release of Rock, Dust, Light, Star around the corner, everyone should be getting excited by the rebirth of a man who can inject some life back into the atonal drone of Lil Wayne and repetitive “I wanna be a freakin billionaire,” that floods the radio, ‘I do feel rejuvenated, music-wise,” assures the singer.

The new album has reverted to a more organic, live sound, “Everything on the record is live. It’s a real band record. The last, album – fantastic – but the whole thing became a little sterile. This time we’ve captured the flow of our live performances,” and this is just what the world needs, an enriched, vibrant and unpredictable sound that counteracts the negative vibes flooding in from Hollywood. British brilliance.

The track ‘Too Young To Die,’ embodies Jamiroquai’s unique flair, with the staccato string opening developing into a bass-infused melody that shuffles along like a freight train, the warm tone of Jay’s voice only adding to what musically, is already a masterpiece. The sound of non-stolen horn samples from the 70’s and 80’s are hard to find nowadays, but Jay Kay has them in abundance, intricately woven between verses. My heart pumps wildly when I hear this track, the heavy bass drum thudding mercilessly in my speakers, like the heart of the music, steady and never ending.

I can sleep easy at night knowing that the future of music is in safe hands.

Jamiroquai is back.

Jamiroquai – ‘Too Young To Die’

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