The proliferation of the internet and Web 2.0 must have had a profound effect on J*Davey, in a good and a bad way. On the one hand, the Los Angeles duo’s name and brand of new wave and electronic funk/soul/pop has gained a significant online following due to the myriad messageboards, blogs, and social networking sites that litter cyberspace. Because of this exposure the group has become a veritable e-household name. On the other hand, this phenomenon has paved the way for a massive amount of bootlegging that has to have astonished the group. There probably isn’t a computer/music nerd that has not sent a J*Davey mp3 through AOL instant messenger a t some point since the group burst onto the scene a couple of years ago.

Nevertheless, songstress Jack Davey and producer Brooke D’Leau have managed to rise above the e-hype to deliver a final product for mass consumption in the form of the double EP (??) The Beauty in Distortion/Land of The Lost. These two EPs represent most of the duos work that has been floating around cyberspace that most myspace fans have heard ad nauseam. For the uninitiated, however, this debut project is nothing short of a pop music renaissance.

Miles Davis, Prince, The Police, Talking Heads, DJ Quik, Bone Thugs N’ Harmony, and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. The only thing that this seemingly random list of artists have in common is the sound that J*Davey manages to concoct from their disparate genius and musical textures. The first EP, The Beauty in Distortion, showcases the duo’s uncanny ability to mesh electronic funk, Soul, R&B, and sparse experimentalism to arrive at a synthetic stew of sound. The prototype of this sound is the group’s lead single “Mr. Mister”. Here, Brook D’Leau is able to mangle the synthesizers and keyboards like a Weather Report alumnus while Jack Davey’s (often) erotic vocals and lyrics melt into the mix as another instrument altogether.

At times the direction the group is trying to take its songs can be a bit unclear as some tracks just seem to float off into the ether. “Cowboys and Indians” is a loose and spacey jam that employs a Funkadelic like vibe with a Sir Nose-type voice throwing is streams of randomness. This type of jammy natured songwriting Is a bit less authoritative as the songs don’t really seem to go anywhere or have a stated goal or purpose, but that of course is the king of all nitpicks. It’s probably better to call these extended jams like this and other euphoric exercises like “Everybody Touch It” what they are…sonic crack, sans base.

You might have heard the second EP, The Land of The Lost, as it was released as a free download mixtape from The Fader magazine in 2007. Most of the tracks from that release reemerge here, unmixed of course, but in a slightly different sequence. Many of the standouts remain. Jack Davey is able to display her serviceable emcee chops on “sLAyers” and the group’s standard “Slooow” closes the disc. We are also blessed with a 2006 live version of another standard “No More” and charming number to consider for the bootlegger that has it all.

Despite most of this effort being a grand revisit of the group’s hijacked material it is important to note that this properly released version is mastered-up and has not gone through various overdubs like a 1995 Doo Wop mixtape. By combining and spring boarding from several music genres, the group is leading the charge in a popular music revolution. Their mixture of pop sensibilities and a unique approach to songwriting and instrumentation make them the new standard in music today. To classify them is nothing short of a futile exercise as the group’s efforts are the next evolution in bridge music. This stuff is out there…way out there. And even if you think you got it, you might as well get it again.