| Scars | ||||
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| Released | 21 September 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008–09 | |||
| Length | 50:58 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Basement Jaxx chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Scars | ||||
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Scars is the fifth studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. It was released in September 2009 by record labels XL, Ultra and Interscope. Three singles were released from the album: "Raindrops", "Feelings Gone" and "My Turn".
The track "Twerk" features lyrics adapted from Michael Sembello's song "Maniac".
Buxton recalls their time collaborating with Yoko Ono: "[She] was very cool. We were told she would arrive bang on time and leave exactly when she was supposed to. And she did. She's very disciplined. The weird thing working with her, I thought she'd come in being all Yoko Ono and she came and asked 'What do you want me to say or sing?' Luckily I'd written some surreal poem and said, 'You could read this along to the music.'" [1]
In an interview, Felix Buxton stated that the album Scars were all the things that the band had been through emotionally and physically. Felix told Rolling Stone Australia they named the album after he was mugged for his bicycle in Brixton, London in 2008. He revealed: "I wasn't badly hurt, but it scared me. It's probably one of the scariest moments of my life. Scars are the things that stay with you and that incident definitely gave me one." [2]
Scars was preceded by the release of two singles from the album: "Raindrops", released on 22 June 2009, and "Feelings Gone", on 8 September.
Scars was released on 21 September 2009 [3] by record labels XL, Ultra and Interscope. One final single was released: "My Turn", on 14 December.
The songs "Raindrops" and "My Turn" were included in the 2010 series of concerts with Metropole Orkest which led to the 2011 album Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest. [4]
The single, "Saga" featuring Santigold appeared as soundtrack in EA Sports game, 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa .
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 69/100 [5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| Consequence of Sound | [7] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10 [8] |
| musicOMH | [9] |
| The Observer | [10] |
| Pitchfork | 7.2/10 [11] |
| PopMatters | 7/10 [12] |
| Slant Magazine | [13] |
| Spin | 7/10 [14] |
| URB | [15] |
The album was given a score of 69 out of 100 from Metacritic based on 19 reviews, a much lower score than their first three albums. [5] URB wrote: "if you're wondering what electronic music is missing, look no further: Scars should serve as a reminder (if you needed one) that Basement Jaxx are an essential piece of the puzzle." [15]
David Jeffries of AllMusic wrote: "there's nothing here you could write off as true filler, but that perfect flow that made their masterpieces so thrilling is missing", but ended by calling it "a worthwhile throwback to the freak attitude that kicked off their career over a decade earlier." [6] Matthew Perpetua of Pitchfork gave the album a rating of 7.2 out of ten and called the album "evidence of true artistic growth", but noted that "[the] successes share space with creative cul-de-sacs and uninspired genre exercises". [11] PopMatters' Evan Sawdey wrote that "though the Jaxx will continue to rack up left-field hits and critical acclaim for years to come, both Scars and Crazy Itch Radio show that the group's innovative streak has come to an end." He noted that "though they can still produce utterly awe-inspiring tracks now and then (could 'Raindrops' been created by anyone else but the Jaxx?), it appears that Basement Jaxx are struggling under the pressure to come up with another stone-cold masterpiece". [12] In his Consumer Guide, Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honorable mention and stated that it's "As good as their cameos as usual, led by Yo Majesty, Yoko, and Ms. Paloma Faith, who is clearly worthy of domestic consumption", while picking out two songs from the album, "Twerk" and "Day of the Sunflowers (We March On)". [16]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Scars" (featuring Kelis, Meleka and Chipmunk) | 4:15 |
| 2. | "Raindrops" | 4:10 |
| 3. | "She's No Good" (featuring Eli "Paperboy" Reed) | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Saga" (featuring Santigold) | 2:42 |
| 5. | "Feelings Gone" (featuring Sam Sparro) | 3:42 |
| 6. | "My Turn" (featuring Lightspeed Champion) | 4:52 |
| 7. | "A Possibility" (featuring Amp Fiddler) | 2:45 |
| 8. | "Twerk" (featuring Yo! Majesty) | 3:30 |
| 9. | "Day of the Sunflowers (We March On)" (featuring Yoko Ono) | 5:59 |
| 10. | "What's a Girl Gotta Do" (featuring Paloma Faith) | 4:04 |
| 11. | "Stay Close" (featuring Lisa Kekaula) | 3:01 |
| 12. | "Distractionz" (featuring Jose Hendrix) | 5:03 |
| 13. | "Gimme Somethin' True" (featuring José James) | 5:29 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "One More Chance" (featuring Lil Louis) | 4:50 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Feelings Gone (Alternate Version)" (featuring Sam Sparro) | 3:23 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Wheel N' Stop (Planet 3 Version)" (featuring Serocee) | 4:22 |
| 16. | "Raindrops (Funkagenda and Paul Thomas Re-Dux)" | 7:44 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Feelings Gone (Joachim Garraud Remix)" (remix by Joachim Garraud; featuring Sam Sparro) | 8:39 |
| 15. | "Raindrops (Under New Management Remix)" | 6:09 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Feelings Gone (Rusko's Stadium Rock Remix)" (remix by Rusko; featuring Sam Sparro) | 5:15 |
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [17] | 76 |
| Australian Dance Albums (ARIA) [17] | 23 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [18] | 41 |
| Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [18] | 19 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [19] | 92 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [20] | 84 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) [21] | 89 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [22] | 37 |
| UK Dance Albums (OCC) [23] | 2 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [24] | 5 |
| US Billboard 200 [25] | 173 |
| US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [26] | 10 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) [27] | 33 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [28] | 9 |
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 20 September 2009 (Digital) 21 September 2009 (Physical) | XL Recordings |
| Australia | 20 September 2009 | XL Recordings |
| Canada | 22 September 2009 | Ultra Music |
| United States | 6 October 2009 | Ultra Music |
Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. The pair got their name from the regular club night they held in Brixton, London, UK. They first rose to popularity in the underground house scene of the mid-1990s, but would go on to find international chart success and win Best Dance Act at both the 2002 and 2004 BRIT Awards. Their most successful singles are "Red Alert", "Rendez-Vu", "Romeo" and "Where's Your Head At".
Kish Kash is the third studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released on 20 October 2003 by XL and Astralwerks. After a lengthy tour which caused them exhaustion and homesickness, they settled in their new studio and wanted to develop a new fresh approach with less reliant on grooves and samples and more focused on songwriting.
The Singles is the first greatest hits album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released on 21 March 2005 via XL. The album contains two new songs, "Oh My Gosh" and "U Don't Know Me", which were both released as singles. "Do Your Thing" was previously included on the 2001 Rooty album, but with the release of this compilation album, the single was re-released in the UK after the two aforementioned singles.
Remedy is the debut studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released in May 1999 by record label XL.
Rooty is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released on 25 June 2001 by the record labels XL and Astralwerks in the UK and US respectively.
Crazy Itch Radio is the fourth studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. The album features Linda Lewis and Swedish popstar Robyn among the guest vocalists.
Made of Bricks is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Kate Nash, released in the United Kingdom on 6 August 2007 by Fiction Records, Cherrytree Records, and the Universal Music Group. The album was a commercial success, topping the UK Albums Chart and spawning a number-two single in the form of the lead single "Foundations". The album was later released in Europe on 10 September and in the United States on 8 January 2008.
"Red Alert" is a song by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. It was released on 19 April 1999 by record label XL as the first single from their debut album, Remedy (1999). The vocals from the track were provided by Blu James. It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and became their first number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. As of July 2019, the single has sold 400,000 copies in the United Kingdom, allowing it to receive a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"Good Luck" is a song by British electronic music duo Basement Jaxx featuring vocals from Lisa Kekaula of American band the Bellrays. It was released on 5 January 2004 as the second single from their third studio album, Kish Kash, and reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, number two on the US Hot Dance Club Play, and number 22 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. The song was nominated in the Best Dance Recording category at the 47th Grammy Awards.
English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx have released six studio albums, two compilation albums, 17 extended plays, thirty-four singles, one soundtrack album, and a number of other appearances.
"Bingo Bango" is a song written and recorded by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx for their debut album, Remedy (1999). The track, which contains a sample of Bolivar's "Merengue" and as a result, Jose Ibata and Rolando Ibata are credited as songwriters, combined dance music with various elements of Latin music. It was released by XL Recordings as the album's fourth single on 27 March 2000, and later became the duo's third No. 1 song on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. The song also peaked at No. 6 in Iceland and No. 13 in the United Kingdom.
"Raindrops" is a song by British electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. It was released on 22 June 2009 as the first single from their fifth studio album, Scars. The song uses the Auto-Tune effect, while the male vocals for the song come from the group member Felix Buxton.
The Metropole Orkest is a jazz and pop orchestra based in the Netherlands, and is the largest full-time ensemble of its kind in the world. A hybrid orchestra, it is a combination of jazz, big band and symphony orchestra. Comprising 52–97 musicians, it is versatile across many musical forms, and is equipped with a "double rhythm section" – one for pop and rock, and one for jazz based music.
Zephyr is the sixth studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. Released on 7 December 2009 as an extended play (EP) internationally.
"Romeo" is a song by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released as the first single from their second studio album, Rooty (2001). British R&B singer Kele Le Roc provides the track's lead vocals while Corryne Dwyer sings the background vocals. The song was released on 4 June 2001 as the first single from the studio album.
Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest is a collaborative album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx and Dutch orchestra Metropole Orkest. The album features of older Basement Jaxx tracks rearranged for an orchestra with participated vocals from Vula Malinga, Sharlene Hector, Brendan Reilly, Oli Savill and Lisa Kekaula.
Laura Mvula is a British singer. A native of Birmingham, England, Mvula has gained experience as a young member or leader of a cappella, jazz/neo-soul and gospel groups and choirs. She was classically trained. In 2012, she signed with RCA Records and released an extended play, She, to critical acclaim.
Junto is the seventh album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released in August 2014 by record labels Atlantic Jaxx and PIAS. It is the duo's first full-length album since Zephyr in 2009, and was announced on 19 May 2014. The title is taken from the song "Power to the People". The album sees a departure from the dark tone of their previous album Zephyr.
"U Don't Know Me" is a song written and produced by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. The Bellrays' lead singer Lisa Kekaula, who has previously appeared on Basement Jaxx's 2004 single "Good Luck", also co-wrote and contributed the song's main vocal. "U Don't Know Me" was described as a rock song with "kiss-off" lyrics that were similar to "Good Luck". On 13 June 2005 XL released the track as the second single from their greatest hits album The Singles. Later editions of the compilation replaced the album version with the "JaxxHouz Radio edit" which was also featured in the song's video.
"Do Your Thing" is a song by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. It originally appeared on their second studio album, Rooty (2001), and was released as a CD single in Australia in 2003, reaching number 33 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In the UK, it was released in September 2005 by record label XL, when it reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. The lead vocals are sung by Elliot May.
