Despite their Caribbean name, Jamaica does not play reggae or anything even remotely close. Instead, this Parisian duo, comprised of Antoine Hilaire and Florent Lyonnet, specializes in ear pleasing pop filtered through French Touch, or as London's Sunday Times described, "sublime, propulsive summer dance-pop." Their debut album, No Problem, released in August on Cooperative Music, was co-produced by Rosnay and Peter J. Franco, live engineer for Daft Punk (he will do the sound on this tour), and recorded in Philippe Zdar's studios (Cassius) in Paris where Phoenix had just completed their soon-to-be international smash, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.
Comparisons to Phoenix aside, Jamaica stands out on its own with its penchant for big guitars and a shared love of American-style hits. The end result is a record that is both sincere and playful. It defies the laws of mathematics by combining pop songs with a universal appeal and rounded production that bursts with dance-floor grooves and tight arrangements.
For this album, the duo reworked some tracks from their previous incarnation known as Poney Poney, such as "Cross The Fader," which become a favorite of the blogosphere. That song, along with three others, will be released as part of a digital EP entitled Cross The Fader this month.
