Home > Music > CD Review > Junkie XL, 'Booming Back at You'

Junkie XL, 'Booming Back at You'

Dutch producer returns with a little less conversation, a little more rocktronic action

By Kirk Miller

Metromix
March 10, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Backstory: Dutch producer/DJ Tom Holkenborg won most of his acclaim for a chart-topping 2002 remix of Elvis Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation,” and his original Junkie XL tracks also reflect a rock-electronica hybrid…with a few musical detours thrown in for good measure.
 
Why you should care: The mix of rock guitars and dance music beats is a tricky affair—outside of the brief Big Beat explosion in the ‘90s (see: Chemical Brothers, Crystal Method), the two camps have mainly co-existed along separate lines. But as the monstrous thump of lead track “Booming Right at You” proves, there might be a way to harness the power of the both camps and make it work. If the whole record doesn’t quite match that opening punch, at least the Gary Glitter–ish stomp of “Clash” and the cacophonous “New Toy” provide arena-worthy thrills.
 
Verdict: Some of the slower, mid-album tracks drag down the overall energy—and that Siouxsie remake (“Cities in Dust”) is a trifling diversion—but “Booming” is, at its best, a hard-charging adrenaline rush
 
X-Factor: Junkie’s rock vibe is no gimmick: his first record came out on the metal-centric Roadrunner Records and featured collaborations with one-time Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares. On “Booming,” Cazares’s latest collaborator, Tommy Vext, provides vocals on the opening track.