BLK JKS “Mystery”
I have this idea that music shouldn’t be unsettling. It can be soothing, it can be uplifting, it can even be melancholy, but unsettling it should not be. That’s just wrong.
I want to warn you beforehand–the Mystery EP is unsettling. It’s difficult to get a handle on just what’s going on and many of the songs are downright eerie. Not eerie like Vincent Price rapping in "Thriller", but eerie like "I can’t figure out whether this is really good or a waste of time". Wait, those are the same thing. Zoinks!
But after the initial shock wears off, you’ll start to get invested in the music. You’ll hear subtleties that you didn’t hear before and you realize that there’s something potentially great here. Now I’m not ready to proclaim the BLK JKS as the second coming or anything, but they have potential. I heard Bob Boilen describe their sound as "messy" and it certainly is that, but behind that lies a musical vision that–when given more focus–could be nothing less than revolutionary.
All five songs on the album are unique and none of them are throw-aways. The opening cut–"Lakeside"–is the song that has gotten the most radio-play and is probably the most accessible song on the album. It has some ambitious tempo shifts that sound like a train about to run off the tracks, but the high whistle during the chorus holds the song together. The title track is the weakest cut, not for lack of ambition but because it’s the only track where the band’s reach exceeds its grasp. It sounds like the band wears down toward the end of the song, then gets a quick second wind before finally throwing in the towel.
The BLK JKS handle tempo-shifting much better in "Summertime", which is the album’s best song. It demonstrates the band’s ability to carry a number of different concepts through one song and highlights the group’s jazz improvisation skills. This song demonstrates what the band can be–and what I hope they will be–as they mature.
The final cut, "It’s In Everything You See", is a slow, psychedelic trip that again reinforces the weirdness of this album. This song alternates between melody and dissonance within a steady tempo anchored by some pretty good acoustic guitar work. From a sequencing standpoint, I would have liked this song to be earlier in the set–it doesn’t work as well at the end and "Summertime" would have been a killer closer–but that’s just me.
All in all, I can’t wait to hear what this band comes up with next–they have all the ingredients to be absolutely phenomenal. This EP will definitely not be for everyone. But if you have any interest at all in world music and/or you like challenging music, this band is for you.
