|
 |
Review: Perfect Loneliness by Jets to Brazil
by jason betrue 
I know I can write my way out of this black hole Back to all the things that I miss Sometimes I wonder if I even exist Blake Schwarzenbach sings these wistful lines on Wish List, the sixth of 12 musically and lyrically moving tracks on Perfecting Loneliness, the latest album from the New York based band, Jets to Brazil. Shwarzenbach's words are indicative of the tone and themes of an album that tells the story of a man grappling with love, religion, writing and life in todayıs tumultuous political and social climate. For those unfamiliar with the group, Jets to Brazil first took flight in 1997. Featuring members of Handsome and Texas is the Reason and being fronted by Blake Schwarzenbach who had a dedicated (sometimes obsessive) following for his work with the group Jawbreaker, the buzz around Jets to Brazil was fluorescent. Amidst rumors of people flying across the country to get a first look at the promising new "supergroup" the band played their first group shows on the East coast in April, 1998. Jets to Brazilıs demo had gotten the attention of the reputable Wisconsin-based indie label Jade Tree Records, and after a European tour in support of Jade Tree A-listers The Promise Ring, they were ready to record their first album. Behind the controls was J. Robbins of Jawbox and Burning Airlines fame, and the record was recorded over the course of ten days in Memphis in August, 1998. Schwarzenbach sums up the process in the band's history on their website (www.jetstobrazilonline.com): "I think between the drive down and the drive home we became a new band -- the three of us cleaved to one another, scared but elated at the prospect of making an album. For my own part, I felt I could not fuck this up -- I mean, I was sure that I would, but I felt like that would mean the end of everything as I knew it. The work was fast an intense, thanks in large part to J. [Robbins] who I felt kept things moving but was not afraid to indulge whims or critical growths." What resulted from the Memphis sessions was Orange Rhyming Dictionary, a thrilling and emotionally intense record propelled by driving guitars and Schwarzenbach's poetic and sometimes chilling lyrics. The record was released on Jade Tree later that year to critical acclaim and mixed reviews from the public. For some listeners who were hoping for Jawbreaker: The Sequel, or a sound closer to that of the respective bands of the Jets' former members, the new sound was an unwelcome change. However, the album did prove pleasing to a mix of both old fans and newcomers alike, and rose to the top of college charts throughout the country. Following the release of Orange Rhyming Dictionary, Bryan Maryanksy (formerly of The Van Pelt) filled out the group's sound as a second guitarist, and after approximately two years of off-and-on touring, they teamed up with J. Robbins again to record Four Cornered Night. The group's sound had made a gigantic leap, including the introduction of the piano and organ as a key instrument on many of the albumıs tracks. Despite a small backlash from a few naysayers, the fresh sound of the album, and a few more national tours gained the group a stronger fanbase more than ever before. With the release of Perfecting Loneliness, Jets to Brazil has made yet another giant leap musically. The 12-song epic offers both a remembrance of the sounds that made JTB's previous two albums desert island discs, but also a progression toward a new, multi-layered and textured, organic sound. While both Orange Rhyming Dictionary and Four Cornered Night have moments in which the band can be heard trying to find their sound, Perfecting Loneliness functions as a seamless group of untainted songs that transcends the individual efforts of its members. "The Frequency" and "You're the One I Want" get the album off to a buoyant and powerful start. Both of these tracks spring forward musically and don't let up. Their respective lyrics also provide an appropriate beginning to a topically diverse album. The Frequency paints a dark and beautiful picture of the music-writing process with lines like "Breaking the silence at the speed of sound. / Hitting the frequency, - she's staring back at me / Warm and loud." The painful pining of "Youıre the One I Want" offers a completely different feel -- "Youıve grown more beautiful since you took off. / What can I do, Iım in love with you / And it wonıt stop.²" A lyrical high point on the album is the aforementioned Wish List. With a catchy chord progression and infective melody, Schwarzenbach offers a rarity in his lyrical canon - a positive song about the writing process. "I know I can write my way out of this black hole / Back to all the things that I miss." The band takes another surprising turn with the politically driven rocker "Disgrace." Schwarzenbach passionately belts out lines like "Mercy, have we gone too far? / Who put all these criminals in charge? / Did they win, or just hold all the cards?" while musically the song is reminiscent of 70's hard rock such as AC/DC or (possibly?) Ted Nugent. Perfecting Loneliness closes with "Rocket Boy" an melancholy song that Schwarzenbach describes as being about "a chronic fuck-up, someone in a cycle of failure that's addictive." This is illustrated in lyrics like "Going in a circle, getting lower every time. / Say it isn't hurting, but I never see you smile." The track essentially consists of an acoustic guitar and piano with accompanying vocals, but as it progresses it picks up a variety of keyboard and guitar sounds. In this instance, it seems as though the music itself could possibly be seen as parallel to the pattern of the track's feature character whose life moves in a constant, increasingly destructive circle, until finally reaching it's breaking point. Schwarzenbach as illustrates this demise with heartbreaking imagery: "Got home, cried alone. The video will surely show / No-one knows I came this close to being me, but I lost us both." With Perfecting Loneliness, Jets to Brazil proves that they are one of the most dynamic and interest groups making music today. It is undoubtedly their strongest and most cohesive effort to date that should be appreciated by anyone who understands the magic and beauty of a well-written song. Perfecting Loneliness will be released on October 15, 2002. The band will be touring the U.S. in October/November. Find more information at www.jadetree.com or www.jetstobrazilonline.com 
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| lunchboxing.com 2003 | all content © | all rights reserved | suck it so hard | feel the rhythm of the night |
