Rockfreaks.net Review

Jakartah - In The Nervous Light of Coincidence

Written by: DR on 1/10-09 at 20:31:56

"In The Nervous Light of Coincidence" is the debut album form Canadian band Jakartah. The album name is, quite clearly, a nod to Circle Takes The Square's song "In The Nervous Light of Sunday" from their screamo masterpiece "As The Roots Undo", though the musical style itself is quite different. "In The Nervous Light of Coincidence" has actually been sitting on my playlist for quite some time, basically because they play a style of post-hardcore I can't really claim to be all that familiar with, and it's taken me time - and plenty of listens - to really get to grips with it. It's clearly influenced by the indie, punk and progressive side of things, so it's definitely interesting, but in no way straightforward.

How would I describe their sound? Well, it's dark and meditative, focusing on unconventional guitar riffs that sound dirty in a good way, though at times they seem to drift and drag on for too long, but it's all part of the band finding their feet. Moreover, the vocalist has a unique voice, not a great one by traditional standards, but his vocals freewheel between wailing, droning and shouting adding the compelling soundscapes the band builds. And that's what this band are: compelling. And if, for some reason, you don't find them to be compelling, at the very least you'll find them to be challenging.

"They Aren't ALL Beautiful" opens with 40-seconds of the same drum and guitar pattern that's later repeated throughout the song, though it's not exactly 'melodic' but it's likely to become a firm favourite with your subconscious and eventually draw you in to humming it along for days. "A Young Boy Forgets About Heaven" is a particular high point, again, featuring repetitive guitar patterns which will, again, seep their way into your mind, and at one stage there is a riff which bears strong resemblance to "After The Devil Beats His Wife" by Emery. One negative point I must add is that the habit they have of repeating guitar-lines over and over in most songs doesn't exactly help towards distinguishing between songs, and doesn't suggest a tremendous amount of creativity, either.

You'll have to be patient with this release, because upon first listen it may sound like a bit of a distorted mess. However, if you listen to it enough you'll be rewarded, you'll pick up on the subtle nuance in the music, which I could have talked about, but it would act almost like a spoiler does for a film, and nobody wants that. "In The Nervous Light of Coincidence" will stick out in your music library like a sore-thumb (sorry for the cliché), but it's one you'll be pleased to have nonetheless. [7½]
Download: They Aren't ALL Beautiful, A Young Boy Forgets About Heaven, Tomorrow's On An Antique Wall
For Fans of: These Arms Are Snakes, Twelve Hour Turn, Hot Cross
Listen: Myspace

Release Date 04.03.2008
Torque/Victory Records

Link: http://www.rockfreaks.net/index.php?page=albumreviews&id=2201
PS - Emery? Circle Takes The Square? We don't sound anything like these bands , and never took them on as in influence in any which way - interesting read none the less!