>Soft is bad right?

• Soft rock – Poodle haired, tight-spandex-trousered nonsense
• Soft drinks – Pale in comparison to alcoholic ones: there’s a Roman God for wine, but not for Sunny Delight
• ‘Soft Skills’ – Management Bullshit for ‘being able to talk to people and be nice’
• Soft Mints – Specifically designed to remove fillings

Well, Jackson and His Computer Band, today’s new band, make music that sounds… soft. But in a great way.

Electronic music, almost by definition , sounds metronomic, precise and clear. The music of Jackson and his Computer Band does share some of these traits, it’s true. But a little bit like how Boards of Canada make warm and organic electronic music – J.A.H.C.B. makes dance music that sounds analogue – all warm and clicky – as if it was made by some crazed human-computer hybrid that was designed in the 70’s, rediscovered yesterday and told to make music for tomorrow. Visit his Myspace page and listen to Teen Beat Ocean – it’s great.

Oh, and he’s French and is living in Germany, and so yes, it does sound a bit like Daft Punk crossed with Kraftwerk.