Nicolas Jaar, the man of many faces. Starting in the late 2000’s, the Chilean-American electronic artist has dabbled in many styles. As a solo artist he found his footing in mesmerizing ambient pieces that utilized a rougher edge for more enticing compositions on albums like Space is Only Noise and Sirens. In 2018, he took on the name Against All Logic and shifted to deep house on 2012-2017; an album that was met with widespread critical acclaim for its ingenuity. Sample heavy house tracks that were danceable, but were combined with Jaar’s fuzzy grit for a more indulgent side. That charm of being low-key danceable and also easy to sink into the layers for a more in-depth listen is what drew me to that release. Now we have been delivered the follow-up 2017-2019, and it’s to the quality that many would expect.

With 2017-2019, Nicholas Jaar has made the positive aspects more apparent upon first listen rather than the slowburn nature of 2012-2017. Samples are incredibly infectious and provide earworms that I would welcome any day. Beginning the record is “Fantasy” which utilizes a catchy Beyoncé sample from her and Sean Paul’s track “Baby Boy”. Sean Paul is in the track too, but not enough that he stands out compared to Beyoncé. “Fantasy” is an incredible track outside of the sample as well with fuzzed out production on the driving production, that thick bassline that gets you bumping, some distorted synths that spaz out at the drop of a dime, and of course that uncanny flourish of strings that kicks off the album. Moving forward, “If Loving You Is Wrong” has a very chill groove to match the light and sensual Luther Ingram sample. Chopped up vocals are usually not my cup of tea but it works so well with the steady and restrained snares paired with the explosions of percussion and synth swells. “With An Addict” also has some great percussion that is sporadic and clean as all hell, but I can’t help but feel that the vocal sample on the song clashes with it too much and becomes clunky. That and the free-flowing synths that sound almost celestial are minorly jarring in the production. “If You Can’t Do It Good, Do It Hard” is the last song on the LP that works with vocal snippets from Lydia Lunch which is just badass. The synths on this track in particular are piercingly sharp and stretch out into these distorted sheets of sounds right before that catchy loop breaks through with more prominent and driving drums.

The second half of 2017-2019 is more straightforward with its house elements and adds in more club and even ambient towards the backend. “Alarm” is exactly what the title implies and wakes you up before making the full transition to the other half. For some reason the beat reminds me of the bombastic “Jailbreak the Tesla” from Injury Reserve which was one of my favorite hip-hop instrumentals of 2019. “Deeeeeeefers” follows retaining that in-your-face punch with amazing percussive arrangements and synths that rev up making you wanna get up and dance. Such chaotic arrangements almost feel like a middle finger to other electronic artists; especially with that fuzz and other gritty effects appearing at some point on all tracks acting as a challenge for other artists to try some new shit that isn’t completely formulaic. Diversity is another element of 2017-2019 that shows ingenuity with a third shift in style; this time subtle arrangements that border upon ambient for the final three tracks.

Nicolas Jaar has always thrived in his lowkey ambient pieces throughout his career, but with the knowledge of what he is capable of I feel two of these last tracks are underwhelming. Both “Penny” and “You (forever)” are nice with the beautiful textures, but the elements of ambient that make the genre compelling are mostly missing. The tones are indeed relaxing and “Penny” does have a beat that keeps a smooth flow to the track, but the minor moments on these two tracks feel just that, minor. They don’t reach that next level of feeling larger than they are. I will say “Faith” is an exceptional track with pianos that are delicate, yet mesmerizing. The synths are wave-like and carry a peculiar tone to them that I love. The subtle bassline that weaves itself in and out of the production is a perfect match to the tone as well.

Nicolas Jaar did it again on 2017-2019. He created a great electronic album that ventures into multiple sub-genres with near-ease. Even with a few tracks that don’t rise to the level of the rest, his signature experimentation that adds a light layer of ugliness that contradicts the more clean segments offers a more compelling listen beyond the already enticing components. Against All Logic is a great project that deserves all the acclaim it has achieved. I may not be the most knowledgeable when it comes to electronic music, but when it is this great it is hard to deny that it naturally makes sense. For long-time Nicolas Jaar fans and fans of his side-projects, this is another step forward in his catalog even if it doesn’t reach the epicness of 2012-2017. If you are not yet familiar with his work, I recommend you at least give 2017-2019 a chance just for the experience alone.

Favorite Tracks: “Fantasy”; “If Loving You Is Wrong”; “If You Can’t Do It Good, Do It Hard” with Lydia Lunch; “Alarm”; “Deeeeeeefers”; “Faith”

Rating: 8/10

Released: 02/07/2020

Label: Other People Records

Genres: House, IDM, Ambient

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RATING SCALE

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