Album Review
Jesse Batiuk – EP
‘Bluephoria’ prepares you for the Doors and their ‘Riders on the Storm’ with a thankfully brief, rain resounding intro. Then, setting the track off on its spellbinding way comes one hell of a slinky guitar riff that effortlessly engages as it glides through some exquisitely mixed and appropriately timid percussion, all of which are delivered to perfection.
Along with a well placed bass line that could perhaps benefit from a touch more emphasis, the song verges on sublimity.
‘Away with Words’ follows, keeping in touch with its predecessors persistently free flowing roots and despite its forgivable and admittedly subtle echoing of Starships ‘Nothing’s gonna stop us now’, its another track that draws the listener in right up to the close of the track, before allowing the enlightened listener to prepare for ‘Drown’.
Some welcome diversity in the shape of backward track play before the signature smoothness returns on a track with a notably perkier construct. The highlight is the new found drive that edges the song along as opposed to merely complementing the guitar as before.
All in all, JB (as his friends surely call him) has created a sound, an identity and a wonderfully emotive and atmospheric set of songs that are every bit as life affirming as they are thought provoking, which is quite a feat when you stop to consider the fact that these are all instrumentals. Yes they’re perhaps a little ‘samey’ but hey, when something’s this good, why stray? Gentle moments from the Smashing Pumpkins as performed by Nick McCabe of Verve is something close to what you can expect from JB and his band of mesmeric men.