Given Junkie XL's successful dance remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation," his appearances on MTV and recent high-profile shows at the Liquid Room in Tokyo, it's difficult to ignore the arrival of his new album, "RADIO JXL: A Broadcast From the Computer Hell Cabin." Not that he's a new kid in town; two previous albums established his reputation since he launched his solo career in the mid-'90s.
In an attempt to create a radio-show format, JXL segues tracks and throws in the occasional DJ-style commentary, spreading it all over two CDs. (The "broadcast" will continue on the soon-to-be-ready fully interactive www.radiojxl.com).
On disc one ("3 p.m."), JXL (aka Tom Holkenburg) offers daytime programming -- i.e. an unabashed pop sensibility underpinning his dance rhythms -- while nighttime vibes flow on disc two ("3 a.m."). Multiple guest appearances from stars are clearly designed to up the interest factor, a ploy that certainly works for listeners with a soft spot for the '80s as icons of that era. In JXL's hell cabin, you'll find Gary Numan, Robert Smith from The Cure and Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan sharing makeup tips and hair spray. Smith's lazy vocals melting into the simple, catchy melody of "Perfect Blue Sky" could make it a Cure pop classic to rank alongside "Love Cats," while laying Gahan's distinctive voice over an uncharacteristically loose, funky groove on "Reload" is a masterstroke on JXL's part.