REVIEW: Jets to Brazil, Orange Rhyming Dictionary (Jade Tree)
- Kerwin So
Rock fans, rejoice. One of this decade's best songwriters, Blake Schwarzenbach, has returned to the fray. As singer, guitarist, and frontman for popular sadcore-punk trio Jawbreaker, Schwarzenbach lyrically explored the darkest recesses of isolation and depression against backdrops of gritty guitars and hard-hitting rhythms. But when the punk community in which Jawbreaker was nurtured collectively disowned the band in disgust after they signed to major label Geffen in 1995, Jawbreaker - without a fan base and, eventually, patience with each other - called it quits in July of 1996. Blake swore he would never make music again, and moved back to Brooklyn from San Francisco.
Funny how fate works sometimes. The night of Jawbreaker's final show, Blake met one Jeremy Chatelain, then singer for the band Handsome, and the two forged what would prove to be a lasting friendship. Soon afterward, Handsome would break up, Jeremy would persuade Blake to play music again, and drummer Chris Daly (ex- of Texas is the Reason) would join them in forging a new musical project. On the strength of one demo and their credentials, record label Jade Tree eagerly signed the band, put them on tour with the Promise Ring, and has now released Jets to Brazil's debut album Orange Rhyming Dictionary .
Let's make a few things clear here. One: Jets to Brazil is not Jawbreaker Part II - although Blake clearly shows he still has the knack for delivering aching lyrics and emotional guitar work. Two: Orange Rhyming Dictionary is not a New Wave dance party - although at times it owes as much to Gary Numan for its arrangements as Blake does to Richard Butler's vocals. And three: Jets to Brazil is not the "next big thing" -- but I have a feeling that they soon may be.
Orange Rhyming Dictionary blasts off with the crunchy rocker "Crown of the Valley," which before long gets bogged down by Blake's tendency towards the verbose, a problem which re-emerges two songs later in the super-syllabic "Starry Configurations." Little wonder, then, that Jets to Brazil chose the name that they did for their debut record. But the album's overall strengths more than outweigh its initial weaknesses. "Lemon Yellow Black"'s wah-wah splashings and bouncy basslines will get your head, if not your booty, moving. "Conrad" also grooves, albeit in a catchier and more linear fashion, with chugging sing-song verses and a spare, surging guitar line in the fadeout to make sure the song sticks to the inner walls of your brain like the ear candy that it is.
"Sea Anemone," surely one of the best songs of the year (and just as likely to unfortunately be overlooked), allows the Jets to establish a powerful connection to the listener via a simpler musical and lyrical approach. A slow, breathy beat and pulsing guitar shimmer underscore the desperation in Blake's lyrics, at once subtle and shocking: "Now I'm making out the shapes/ Like the shower rod -- Can it take my weight?" Schwarzenbach is still the master of treading the depths of human emotional experience and emerging to tell us the tale, as he does again in "I Typed for Miles," a brilliant (and rather Jawbreaker-ish) ode to madness: "Leave me here to my devices/ The call could come at any time."
The album closes with the appropriately titled "Sweet Avenue," an occasionally gawky but appealing testament to the redemptive power of love, all blushes and strummy acoustic guitars. Whereas much of Orange Rhyming Dictionary deals with themes of drugs, isolation, and paranoia, "Sweet Avenue" wraps things up on a charmingly upbeat note, with lines like "Now all these tastes improve through the view that comes with you." That's something Jawbreaker would never have gotten away with.
Indeed, many elements of Jets to Brazil's debut -- wah-wah, vocal harmonies, New Wave guitar effects-- would never have been allowed in a punk or hardcore setting. It's clear that the members of Jets to Brazil are now free to do what they want to do musically and are not afraid to experiment, a testament to their versatility and near limitless potential. Orange Rhyming Dictionary is a striking debut from a band paving its own musical path, but who is destined to become as adored and influential as its sadcore/hardcore ancestors. This record grows on me every time I listen to it; I can't wait for Jets to Brazil's next album to see how far they've evolved.
