If you know me, you know Jesu. Well, you might not know them, but you'll know of them, due to the fact that I never shut the fuck up about them. They are my favourite band, and have been since I first heard 'Tired Of Me' back in 2005. That's nearly five years of me never shutting the fuck about them.
The problem is, most recent releases haven't necessarily been the greatest. 'Infinity', released a few months ago, was an amazing song, definitely, but considering it was 50 minutes in length, should have been one of Jesu's greatest. And alas, it wasn't. A definite grower, but it can't quite rival the emotional intensity of the self-titled debut album, or the meticulously crafted experimental pop of 'Silver' or 'Conqueror', or the psychedelic pounding beats of some of Jesu's more electronica-influenced work.
But then, that's one of the things that makes Jesu so exciting - You can never be sure what their next release will sound like. They've travelled through shoegaze, pop, metal, indie, ambient, electronica, and even a bit of pop-punk, country, and glitched-up IDM. The latest Jesu release, 'Opiate Sun', featuring main man Justin K Broadrick solo, follows a more shoegaze/indie inspired sound. Which is awesome, but is a bit of a letdown after the experimentalism of some recent releases.
The EP starts with 'Losing Streak', the best track on the record. It's very poppy, with an incredibly catchy refrain, and features one of Jesu's more beautiful moments in the lead-in to the chorus. Unfortunately the following tracks can't quite live up to this.
'Opiate Sun', the track, is lovely, but not necessarily memorable, though it does hold an impressively catchy vocal melody. 'Deflated' fares a bit better, being, again, very catchy, and has an impressive, if slightly overlong outro. 'Morning Light' harkens back to the debut album, with a very slow, heavy guitar pounding away over a more mournful, clean guitar sound. Again, very good, but not too memorable.
The Daymare Records edition, which I'm reviewing, ends with a bonus track - A demo version of 'Deflated'. This actually fares a bit better than the original, even if it is slightly unfinished. It's less heavy, and allows you to focus more on the melodies, and throws in a nice piano line too. One of my favourite vocal lines from the original is replaced by channel-hopping dreamy guitar distortion (think a post-rock 'Interstellar Overdrive'). Both sections are very good, though I prefer the vocal version best.
The production here is another problem. The album 'Jesu' featured an extremely heavy, but sometimes overly distorted sound, which was no doubt intended, but led to a lot of clipping. After a bunch of flawless Jesu productions, this feels like a step back, with, yup, lots of clipping. It's just a bit too noisy when it should have been a bit more low-key, in my opinion.
All this sounds very negative. And trust me, it kills me to write an even slightly negative Jesu review. But it is a good EP, just not as essential as the other Jesu releases. It's definitely a grower, and is extremely consistent. And 'Losing Streak' really is a masterpiece.
Plus, Broadrick's vocals are at their absolute strongest here. One thing to be said for each subsequent Jesu release is that the vocals constantly get better, and this is no exception. In fact, some of the prettiest melodies on the release are courtesy of some breath-taking harmonies, especially on the first three tracks.
It's an interesting excursion for the Jesu project, just one I hope doesn't outstay it's welcome.
Plus, it's worth remembering, a lesser Jesu release is the equivalent to a great album by any other band.
4/5
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