Music I Liked And Didn't - 3/10/07

Adds - Finally, after much delay...

JESU: Conqueror DCD (Daymare) - On their latest release Justin Broadrick’s Jesu continues its evolution down the musical path illuminated on the “Silver” LP. Although this release contains the same basic sonic elements as all previous Jesu recordings (thick, “wall of sound” guitars, mechanical rhythms, layered, droning keyboards, and reverbed/delayed vocals) the emphasis continues to focus more on the pop spectrum. So, yeah, there’s still thick guitar feedback heaviness, but now it comes in waves, accompanied by dreamy keyboard dronescapes, instead of the precision pound and massive blocks of riffage featured on their self-titled double LP. Personal favorites include the fuzzy dream pop of “Transfigure” and the distorto pop dirge "Weightless And Horizontal".

This special, Japanese-only issue also contains a bonus disc with the two lengthy tracks from the, as of yet, unreleased “Sun Down / Sun Rise” LP. The first of these two tracks,”Sun Down”, is another piece that sounds very much like an extended version of the material on the first disc. “Sun Rise” continues to feature similar elements of sound, as well, but lowers the level of sonic density considerably to create a more ambient piece that even includes some electronica informed touches. Personally, I thought these two tracks were among the better pieces on this two disc set.

While I must admit that I found this release, overall, to be quite enjoyable, I’m not sure how interested I’ll continue to be in future Jesu titles if Broadrick’s sonic evolution continues further down its current path. When the “Sun Down / Sun Rise” LP does come out, it (also containing only two lengthy tracks) will make a fitting bookend to the “Heart Ache” CD (still the best Jesu title, in my humble opinion!) and, perhaps, a good note on which to close out the Jesu phase of Broadrick’s career before he runs its good name and reputation into the ground of disrepute like he did with Godflesh.

In other Jesu news...

As was announced on Broadrick’s blog (justinkbroadrick.blogspot.com) the band’s entry into the US was delayed by US officials/customs and, therefore, Jesu missed the first three weeks of their scheduled US tour with Isis. They are now scheduled to begin their tour tomorrow in (ironically) Washington, D.C., the seat of the US Government that delayed their entry. Sadly, even though Broadrick will now be able to finish the remainder of the tour, we will not be seeing the “real” Jesu, as bass player Diarmuid Dalton will not be playing any of the dates (due to being refused a work permit for the US) and Drummer Ted Parsons (due to personal conflicts) will also not be with Jesu on this tour. Yeah, all this bad news certainly takes away a lot of the anticipatory glow I had regarding Jesu’s upcoming Bay Area appearance in April.


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Running Count For The Year

Adds 34/83%

Did Not Add 7/17%