I first heard Jarek when I turned up to a sleepmakeswaves gig and they were playing first support. I was awestruck by the complexity and originality of their sound and the uniqueness of their instrumentation, not to mention their skill levels. I was keen to review their soon-to-be released second album and now I can’t wait to see them again.
‘Tree of the Seas’ is a little bit jazz, a little bit blues and roots and touches on some prog and post-rock as well. And no one sings. The production levels in the record are very high, with seven of the nine tracks being recorded in a studio over a couple of days by Davin Pidoto (The Dirty Three, Augie March). The other two songs had previously been released and were recorded in the bedroom of percussionist and guitarist (he plays both at the same time) Jared Brentnall. I can only imagine friendships were tested with so many in such a confined space and it conjures up thoughts of Ted Crilly and Dougal McGuire writing ‘My Lovely Horse’ in the Craggy Island parochial house, but I digress.
Opening with a simple, gentle bass line, we are soon joined by melodic guitars, percussion and clarinet. It’s the pure clarity of ‘Bezerk Male Syndrome’ that really hits you as each instrument can be clearly heard either as the prominent melody or in the background. It does mean that it borders on being a collection of discreet dovetailed sections, but they do fit together well as a whole with a solid eight bar structure and I like that jigsaw feel.Track two starts with a distinctive swagger and jazzy feel, this time using more of the monkey stick, joined by keys and glock and some tremolo in the closing stages. The melodies and themes run a little longer than the opener but the structure is similar with eight and 16 bar passages, and the acoustic guitar gains prominence here and there. You get a strong feeling of what you think the whole record will sound like.
‘Massive Portise’, set on a beach, continues to build more layers on the generally laid back foundations of the first two. Starting with waves on the shore and sharp electronic beats, it’s joined by deep, loud bass. The foundations laid, electric guitar starts to really chime along with glock close on its heels. There are passages of beautiful slow picking before the storm slowly rolls in and it becomes dark and sad. There’s variety but we’re moving away from the jigsaw at this stage.
Track four is my favourite right now, marking the metamorphosis in the record towards something fuller and deeper and less structured while not only retaining, but clearly defining the laid back guitar of the opening three tracks. Starting with arpeggios that sound like backwards guitar, we are joined with some melodic six-string that makes the light bulb go on as I suddenly think the words ‘Mark’ and ‘Knopfler’ in the same sentence for the first time since I discarded my Dire Straits records in 1982*.
We now head down a road of progressive and post-rock sounds that include some good crescendo and dynamics and a solid background of synth, keys, guitar, clarinet, melodeon and more. ‘A Dilapidated Existence’ runs close to ten minutes following a path now well removed from the opening tracks in style and structure. There are times in the record that you will find yourself wondering how it would sound with a full drum kit instead of just bass drum and monkey stick, none more so than in this track, but that’s one of the things that is fundamental to the sound of Jarek. And how do you play a full kit with an acoustic guitar in your hands anyway?
The final track is another long one and ends with more waves on a beach. At this point the whole record takes on another perspective in which the opening pair of songs were a prelude to a larger work in seven parts, inviting you back for another listen.
The way the album engages with the listener is unusual in that it’s largely ambient in nature but doesn’t settle for being background music, ending so quickly despite running for 55 minutes. There’s no power-chords, no chugging or shredding, instead being infused with noodling and fairly straight guitar melody. It’s half acoustic and half plugged in, and forgoes a traditional rock rhythm section. Instead of pushing boundaries down the post-metal, math-rock, or prog path, it asks you to step back take another look through a different set of glasses. A bit like finding a hidden level.
With the CD being released on 4th April, the band want to push ahead with physical sales rather than downloads, although the single on bandcamp should whet many an appetite. If you live on the Australian East coast you can catch them live in early April and pick up a copy, but for others it will be available by order.
*Violent Femmes happened.
Released April 04 2012 through Bandcamp
Posted by Gilbert Potts
