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Cannonball Jane - Knees Up! Review

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Elementary school teacher by day and electo-pop fusion musician by night, Sharon Hagopian is as clever as they come. Along with her feminine wit comes the songbird trill she so effortlessly spills. Playing under the pseudonym 'Cannonball Jane' and incorporating a plethora of genres into her music, Cannonball Jane blends garage, hip-hop, Spector-inspired 60's girl groups, Motown and tinges of psychedelic into its clever use of samples and sashaying dance beats. With a healthy fan base, Knees Up! is guaranteed to garner even more praise then it already has by those who like their sounds spirited, sprightly and sassy.

As Knees Up! begins you start getting a feel of how this bold EP will play out. "Take It To Fantastic" begins with 90's guitar squalor just as a samba and clap machine jerk and sway to Hagopian's sweet yet powerful voice. As the spastic organ begins to play, down tempo beats revert back to samba and clap machine back to guitar to 60's girl group and back again to guitar. "Slumber Party" dwells into lethargic vocals and chime trills lulling listeners into pleasant dreams. That is until Beck-themed garage bass beats and melodious piano wake those from their slumber and send them dancing and twisting to jerk heavy music. "Breaker Breaker" begins with a hyperactive drum machine and psychedelic guitar riffs that linger and soar. This is the closest listeners will get to the stirring retro feel of 90's Madonna as Hagopian's voice swells and chirps. "Take It To Fantastic" belts out a remix done by Beastie Boy, Ad-rock. Titled Smallstars Remix, this track indulges in its spacey, videogame blips and chilled atmospherics. The hip-hop down tempo strums and struts just as the chorus begins with toned down vocals and more emphasis on sound. As this cool-and-collected remix jerks to an end, "The Secret Handshake" begins with a sweet-tempered toy piano and amp fuzz turning to 60's shaker beats and jungle beats mixed with 70's nature program themes. Along the ride are Motown horns and bongos morphing Hagopian's vocals into 80's lady MC as sirens bark. In "Bossa Tug", electronic wows and chimes trigger a greater feel of Cannonball Jane's often ADD genre flips. "Take It To Fantastic (DJ Downfall Smash Hit Radio Remix)" splurges funk with Latino-tinged hip twists. While echoing croons dabble with an organ melody and dip with megaphone samples. This jumpy remix puffs and pulsates till the last remaining seconds playfully end. Knees Up! is compulsive listening, with a short runtime replays are inevitable.

Cannonball Jane's recycled rhythms congregate into sounds alien to that of most fusion artists. Part Go!Team meets Beck meets Dusty Springfield meets Le Tigre meets Madonna, Cannonball Jane's quirky coolness is a step up from the norm. The way Hagopian pulls everything together is what makes her sound so distinct. This buoyant musician has successfully concocted a sound that is as indescribable as it is accessible and energetic as it is playful.

Track Listing
1. Take It To Fantastic
2. Slumber Party
3. Breaker Breaker
4. Take It To Fantastic (Smallstars Remix by Adrock)
5. The Secret Handshake
6. Bossa Tug
7. Take It To Fantastic (DJ Downfall Smash Hit Radio Remix)


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Cannonball Jane - Knees Up!
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