| CD REVIEW TrafficjaM |
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Band : TrafficjaM If you'll go on the bio this Belgian band from the province of West Flanders has posted on their website (www.) trafficjam.be, they've been around since the year 2000, but when looking at their tour page, you'll find the year 1999 was actually TrafficjaM's busiest gig year ever, and that starting in January too! At any rate, when they “formed” in 2000, it was with the firm intent of producing a sound of their own, never to be an “ordinary” band. The guys chose for a sound in which influences from Pop to Metal would be mixed with electronics and a touch of Industrial, and get vocals on top which would go from clean passages to all-out screaming. And because of the diversity of their material the band has been compared to such diverse acts as Primus, Machinehead, Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, Faith No More, and even Belgian metal masters Channel Zero. The band itself does nót like to be compared, flattering as though that may be, feeling they've developed a style of their own they dubbed “Alternative Hardness”! A very nice description indeed! Although this is only the band's debut full-length release, the quartet (the line-up of which is TJ on vocals and guitars, Joeri on samples and keyboards, Francis on drums and beats, and since the Autumn of last year Dimitry on bass & backing vocals) has nevertheless already had some achievements in the past decade. They've released a total of 3 demos, released a first single (recorded with infamous producer Kloot Per W, with whom they also record a cover of a Ramones song as a contribution to the latter's Ramones Project) titled “Kopuka” in 2003, won the Demopoll at Belgium's biggest Alternative Radio station Studio Brussel for the second time that same year (as a result of which their song “Cabriowitcha” was placed on the show's 2003 compilation album Harvest), and self-released their 6-track debut EP Alternative Hardness II in 2008 (would contain both aforementioned songs). On the live circuit the guys have opened for the likes of 't Hof Van Commerce, Belgian Asociality, Finland's Jack Of All Trades, Red Zebra, Camden, Desperation, Sweet Coffee, Funeral Dress, Mintzkov, Flatcat, Spoil Engine, participated to several band contests, played several smaller festivals on a regular basis, and even did a short tour of Holland. When listening to the tracks posted at myspace.com/trafficjambelgium, you'll have to agree that, where the heavy guitars incorporate the groove in the songs, it's the electronic sounds that bring the excitement and freaky bits. And together with the beats lain on top of the acoustic drums, they're also what makes the songs get their wacky Industrial touch. Recordings for this 10-track, 46-minute musical delight apparently happened in stages, starting somewhere in late 2008 (obviously, the bass parts were re-recorded when Dimitry joined – either that, or part of the recordings with the old bassist were retained without crediting him for it...might just be they intended to though, as half of the tracks ), and a couple of songs were already posted on the guys' MySpace as early as November of last year. The guys add a touch of Hip Hop in “Why” with the partially rapped vocals, a touch of Dance in the more electronically geared “Hit Me” (not posted), but at any rate what's posted is quite representative for the great tunes I came across on the album. Yeah, definitely great fun, this TrafficJaM. Now I àm particularly fond of this type of crossover/ hybrid music, but that is not why I'm rating Headstrong so positively. Nay, what these guys did here is really delightful, and absolutely deservant of the year-list nomination it's hereby being forwarded! 98/100 Tony. |
