Album Review: Jackson & His Computerband - Glow

For all its romance, for its sights, Paris has a dark underbelly. While the City of Lights has more than once spewed forth musicians famous and infamous over centuries, from Debussy to Daft Punk, the dark rues de Paris hide a heaving, seething beast. Abrasive and aggressive, it slithers through the sewers and crouches on its haunches in shadows, ready to attack. Today, Jackson rides that beast.

There's nothing particularly 'French' in Jackson Fourgeaud's music, although Glow's sound draws parallels with the industrial tones attributed to the stereotypical 'Berlin sound'. Throw in the schizophrenic nature of Aphex Twin (see Blood Bust for example), the occasional electro-ballad (Memory) and a seriously fucked-up carousel sound (More), and the general vibe of Glow becomes apparent.

Jackson creates his work not for the casual listener, but for those who appreciate music as art. In this, it is unsurprising he calls Paris home. His debut Smash dropped around the time the Ed Banger dance scene – think releases by Justice, DJ Mehdi and Sebastian – was broadcasting French dance music to the world. Jackson, while not intertwined in the label, carried on doing his thing, and with Glow, is ready to remind global audiences that French dance music in 2013 is not confined to a couple of guys dressed in robot suits.

There's something very disturbed about Glow, but for all its viciousness and passion, it's clear that Jackson, with the help of his Computerband, is a visionary artist who derives pleasure from the aural assault he delivers.