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PopMatters

After Robots exudes an energy and a lack of self-consciousness that is exciting and refreshing.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

That killer instrumental prowess, coupled with Lindani Buthelezi’s whispered baritone and dancing falsetto--delivered in both Zulu and English--makes for too much talent, too many ideas, and a constantly roiling pool of influences. Basically, everything fans would want to root for in a young band.

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Spin

Flashing all the (slight) overreach of a much-anticipated debut album, After Robots still exuberantly delivers.

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Observer Music Monthly

Forget hi-life vibes: this psychedelic trip takes you from Jo'Burg to Brooklyn and way, way beyond.

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Drowned In Sound

When it's at its best, After Roberts harbours a brave sense of adventurism, a fearless experimentalism. And yes, it can sound like a million other things. But more often that not, it's just the glorious sound of nothing else.

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No Ripcord

Whereas I don’t necessarily believe it a step above the Mystery EP, still ably showcases the talents of BLK JKS, their world-influenced musical hybrid a unique presence in an industry dangerously close to being oversaturated with no longer distinctive hipsters spouting tra la la’s.

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Prefix Magazine

After Robots more than answers the call to hype; it breaks down the borders between countries and scenes, and it bears a message that it’s just as possible to create progged-out songs of unending complexity if you’re from Johannesburg as it is if you’re from Williamsburg.

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The Guardian

All context aside, After Robots just plain rocks--a hugely creative, expansive and forceful piece of work.

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Q Magazine

What sounds difficult at first unfurls with force over repeated listens, veering from the chant-driven 'Molalatladi' to 'Lakeside's' space rock reverie. [Oct 2009, p.108]

Mojo

Blk Jks's own voicee is utterly compelling. [Oct 2009, p.107]

Billboard.com

Although the set's complex instumentation finds BLK JKS occasionally losing their footing, their confidence in their craft largely covers up any glaring errors.

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musicOMH.com

Noisy and chaotic, passionate-sounding, complicated and confusing as it is, it nevertheless emerges as something a bit more than the sum of its manifold parts.

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Rolling Stone

There are bits of jazz and dub, but mostly these guys want to rock. When they do it their way, they sound like nothing else.

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Under The Radar

For the foursome's debut album, they've locked in their sound as a futuristic amalgamation that's liberated from flippant categorization. [Fall 2009, p.61]

All Music Guide

They fit into the indie rock genre about as loosely as Bad Brains fit the hardcore punk stereotype or Living Colour fit in the hair metal mold. Who cares? Pigeonholing is futile, the music is boundless.

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Filter

The lyrics, not entirely in English, are a bit al dente and often overshadowed by the quartet's blend of jazz, blues and dub sounds. [Fall 2009, p.106]

Pitchfork

It's not always great--the band has a tendency to let its best ideas get the best of them--but there is a bigness of sound that is hard to approximate. And even harder to control.

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Dusted Magazine

Unfortunately, there’s nothing to the band besides the concept. Far from ramshackle, exploratory fun, the songs are paint-by-numbers melodramatic nonsense with a few interesting genre gestures.

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Paste Magazine

Track after track is slathered in layers of horns and guitars and synths until the songs underneath are no longer discernible.

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Urb

It's a promising thought to know there are musicians this deft and so easily able to push themselves through so many sonic boundaries at once--but in the end, the overt and ultimately, stifling seriousness surrounding it proves to be the largest boundary BLK JKS stand before.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Don C. gave it a7:
A debut album a bit unlike anything else in the indie scene. A bit muddled at times, but the lush arrangements and dub influenced rock-outs are absolutely worth a listen. I'd also ignore the statement that the songs are tighter and more focused live -- I saw them last night and the show was a disaster; an off-time mess with delay effects on absolutely everything. I'll stick to the album, thanks.

gomad361 gave it a7:
Overproduction courtesy perhaps of the "tutelage of Secret Machines’ Brandon Curtis" has blurred their sound and dulled it's impact. They rock much harder and sharp than this live, and what's with that record cover - Secretly Tamashek?

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