Review of Spaceman Single and Animal Army
Spaceman
single 1996
Well, surely everybody must know by now that this is the song used in the current Levi jeans advert featuring the girl and the spaceship.
What fewer people know is that the snatch used in the advert is totally unrepresentative of the song- and the band. The song starts with the familiar advert-sounding ambient space sounds, jungle beat and techno Morph vocals. Then it winds down, and a slow drum machine starts together with a digital bass and metal guitar.
The singer turns out to be male, with an amazing (or sequencer-enhanced) talent for sustain, but otherwise a pretty much standard rock voice. Overall the song has a tendency towards 70's space rockers such as Ziggy Stardust, with lots of references to the ills of society on petty Earth.
Above average and a nice one for the dancefloor. What really makes it is the melody, and there is a potential for further good songwriting. The single also features other mixes including a five-minute jungle version.
Babylon Zoo - Animal Army
EMI
Not quite Spaceman, thank goodness but still within the Bowie//Bolan--weird lyrical-space cadet terrority, featuring a fuzzed up guitar and killer rift. Jas Mann is a talented musician to be sure, but his lyrical prowess has a long way to go - "Animal Army" features him wailing about "Elephants dancing" or something - who knows? who cares? Actually I can see Mann as a bizarre Michael Jackson rock eccentric with his own private Zoo and neverland, and after the success of "Spaceman" he probably could afford it. The additional tracks are rather long and indulgent re-mixes with slightly dubious names such as "arthur plays with the animals" (erm, due to arthur baker doing the remix duties) and the "babylon bass mix" which, surprisingly doesn't feature much bass at all, but maybe that's the point.
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The Boy With X-Ray Eyes Review - EMI
The trip-hoppy euro-pop of St. Etienne also comes to mind as one component of this fascinating, kitchen-sink acquired-taste hybrid out of Wolverhampton, England. Add unique lead distortion achieved by plugging a cheap, second-hand guitar and amp straight into the mixing desk, and a variety of vocal and instrumental sound effects that create a cross between Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover" and low-budget, sci-fi horror flick special effects, and you have some insight into the mind of 24 year old part Asian/part Native American vocalist/writer/producer Jas Mann. A dash of rave, a sprinkle of Sisters of Mercy-like Goth, an undercurrent of Bowiesque Glam, and through this sonic jam soars the yearning, child-simple siren melodies of "Zodiac Sign" and the title track. An electro-pop cornucopia, done on the cheap and with a knowing wink, Babylon Zoo is a magpie speaking in tongues while deftly decorating its nest with glittering, borrowed baubles.
Second Album 'King Kong Groover' Reviews.
The impressive thing about Babylon Zoo is that its embodiment, Jas Mann, has stuck around and not died like many a supposedly one-hit wonder. Indeed they allude to life after their meteoric rise in the kicker , All The Moneys Gone, which has echoes of Oasis. Thats the problem with Babylon Zoo, you know they want to mind the pop/rock thing, but you dont which, cos one minute it looks like they are going all David Bowie, then the next, its a bit Beatles-y. For our money, we will opt for the heavy rocking, yet pop-vibed Are You A Boy Or A Girl. Lets hope there is a good take up of this both clever and copyist set, or else Jas could disappear forever.
Another Review:
His second album is, like his big hit Spaceman, T-Rex/Bowie-esque bubblegum
pomp pop with synth bits, vocoders, and FX pedals; no doubt covered in
hologram sticky-backed plastic and labelled "interstellar squonk-glam
overdrive".
The title's say it all: Chrome Invader, Boy Or A Girl, Manhattan Martian,
etc. Guffaw! Jas Mann is a kid in a cyberpop sweetshop - and who can blame
him?
4/5
Another Review:
Babylon Zoo follow the recent release of their single All The Money's Gone with their second album King Kong Groover on 8th February. All tracks on the album were written by Jas Mann with the exception of Honaloochie Boogie - a cover of the Mott The Hoople classic. One of the other tracks on the album, Manhattan Martian, was originally pencilled in to feature in the film Independence Day but - due to touring commitments - it wasn't completed in time. King Kong Groover is the follow up to the UK gold and worldwide multi-platinum album The Boy With The X-Ray Eyes.
News posted 29 January 1999
Another Review:
By Glam-Rock.de
The second album "King Kong Groover" was completely ignored. What a shame ! This King Kong Groover is the best album of 1998! Jas Mann gave us a true glamrock classic which is worlds better than the debut "The Boy With The X-Ray Eyes". Let´s hope the Babylon Zoo story does not end now.
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