This is a very alive album. It jitters and pulsates, and the jazzy melodies swirl confidently around everything. Both the bass lines and vibes make me instantly think Tortoise, but I like Tortoise, right? Well shit, I oughta. I own all of their albums (okay, I burned Millions Now Living Will Never Die from a friend) and have followed John McEntire's other work with The Sea & Cake. But what is it about Tortoise that makes me wrinkle my nose? Is it the vibes? Maybe. The way both Tortoise and Jaga Jazzist use it is like a cold, sort of tonal crutch that seems to evoke a flat, sort of emotionless place. The rhythmic and melodic shifts on this record are incredibly deft, so that when you get started, you are completely on board with the brain-dance of it. But as the album skitters on, it becomes increasingly obvious that, while skilled, there is this samey sort of infusion running through the whole thing.
Like Tortoise's worst material (oddly enough, the one album I didn't officially buy) this is music you really want to like; it's so vivid. But something gets lost in the proceedings. Despite all the ear-perking twists and turns (the static-y, tapped solo on track five is notable), there is something very stale about the overall sound. Perhaps it's something like the streamlined airport lounge/boarding area that I picture when listening to the horn and vibraphone melodies. I might initially look about me at the vast openness and sleekness of the area, but before very long I go to the magazine stand to read and frown at the latest issue of SPIN till I fall asleep. But I don't want to discourage people from checking this out. A lot of effort was obviously put into it, and the production skills are exemplary. Just don't expect it to deliver infectious melodies. It's a solid, if somewhat samey sounding brain-dance of a record.
note: If anyone can think of a good word for that Tortoise sound, please tell me. I'm stumped. (egalitarian? communist? apuscious maybe? HELP ME!!!
1. Kitty Wü
2. Day
3. Another Day
4. Suomi Finland
5. Aerial Bright Dark Round
6. Reminders
7. Toxic Dart
8. I Could Have Killed Him in the Sauna
9. Doppelganer
10. The Stix
More about: Jaga Jazzist
