Jesquibel
Marriage, 2005
rating: 4/5
reviewer: willcoma


Jesquibel is an above average left-field pop recording, but it's still gonna give many pause. Yeah, so, what else is new, right? My personal caveat here is the Kermit-esque stylings of the male vocalist (most prominently so on the opener). It detracts from what is the otherwise rather captivating primitive pulse these artists create. With its Popul Vuh keyboards and what sounds like a distorted pan flute, "Onslaught" is like a queer phantom CB patch feed of the of Aguirre, The Wrath of God. As this is only the second track, it's safe to say things get very weird very quickly. "A Life of Sequence" sounds like This Heat an awful lot, with its dirge-like vocals (a female voice repeatedly, flatly intones "...and the world ends") and fuzz-laden pressure cooker progression. The next track, "The Magicians," about how "rabbits have fur and lobsters don't" is very calm (and informative!). It sounds like the ocean through a cave with a simple bass figure. It's really quite a nice little tune despite its drably insipid lyrics.

I'll avoid track-by-tracking any further, but it should be noted that Mise En Abyme have a refreshing amount of tonal variation from track to track. Yet the overall sound could be described as dark and mysterious, with a touch of the whimsical. The female vocals aren't much better. Both vocalists practice, on occasion, this sort of flat delivery that detracts from the relative murky glee of the proceedings. My first reaction is, yick, you fucken tone-deaf... Then it shifts to a dull sort of realization that they're doing it on purpose. Perhaps it's to keep things edgy. Maybe it's just the way it comes out. I don't know. Whatever the case, I must reiterate that the singing is often really glaring and noticeable, and I don't believe it should be in this case.

The music this trio makes is unpredictable and oddball enough that an instrumental album could work really well. I've suggested this before, and I'm sure it's really insulting to folks that have put in a lot of thought and energy about their use of vocals for their project. But in this case it's much more apt than with, say, Resplendent. Mise En Abyme's sound is very rich, very refined, and a joy to take part in. Assuming that a good number of you music fans out there can get past the potentially wince-inducing voices amidst the enticing soundscapes better than I, there is nothing left for me to do but to whole-heartedly recommend this release. All reservations aside, Jesquibel's a truly notable example of the more accessible side of experimental pop. It's no Sung Tongs, but it's a well abreast releases from acts like Skeletons and The Double.

1. Reaching
2. Onslaught
3. A Life of Sequence
4. The Magicians
5. Parts Attack
6. Norm
7. Parachutes
8. Reaching (Reprise)
9. Aldalido
10. Glass