The Jelly Jam - The Jelly Jam
Inside Out Records - 2002
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Inside Out Records web site.
Occasionally, musicians reach a point in their careers where they have been in so many bands that the fans begin to lose track of which was the main band and which ones are side projects. Mike Patton is possibly the most infamous workaholic in rock, although Ty Tabor could well be catching him up.
If I remember rightly, Tabor was in King's X (remember them?), he was definitely in Platypus, and now he's in with this motely crew - the oddly monickered The Jelly Jam. So, what do they sound like? Well, they sound like King's X with added occasional 70s psychedelia and the odd space rock movement. Sound a little unpalatable? Well, you'd be surprised how well it works.
The Jelly Jam kick off with 'I Can't Help You' with a nice, chugging palm-muted riff and some electronically-effected vocals before spiralling into a nice heavy chorus, while still remaining melodic. Then comes 'No Remedy', which includes a little bit of a drum solo section before heading straight back into the almost Hendrix-like riff and hard rock chorus that came before. Next comes a brief, flowing, acoustic interlude called 'Nature' which serves as an effective introduction to 'Nature's Girl', which immediately explodes into a speedy riff layered by echoing, sparse vocals. Before long the song is segueing seamlessly between an ethereal chorus and the tearaway riff, and it's then that you realise that the album has you hooked.
The space-rock workouts in some of the songs fit in perfectly with the more aggressive sections that usually precede them, and the melodic vocals and perfectly flowing song compositions add to the effect of the songs. This album might not be for everyone - I especially wouldn't recommend it to people who just couldn't get into King's X - but for me, it's a good alternative to the staple diet of grindcore, death metal and metallic hardcore I've been gorging myself on lately.
8.5/10
Inside Out Records - 2002
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Inside Out Records web site.
Occasionally, musicians reach a point in their careers where they have been in so many bands that the fans begin to lose track of which was the main band and which ones are side projects. Mike Patton is possibly the most infamous workaholic in rock, although Ty Tabor could well be catching him up.
If I remember rightly, Tabor was in King's X (remember them?), he was definitely in Platypus, and now he's in with this motely crew - the oddly monickered The Jelly Jam. So, what do they sound like? Well, they sound like King's X with added occasional 70s psychedelia and the odd space rock movement. Sound a little unpalatable? Well, you'd be surprised how well it works.
The Jelly Jam kick off with 'I Can't Help You' with a nice, chugging palm-muted riff and some electronically-effected vocals before spiralling into a nice heavy chorus, while still remaining melodic. Then comes 'No Remedy', which includes a little bit of a drum solo section before heading straight back into the almost Hendrix-like riff and hard rock chorus that came before. Next comes a brief, flowing, acoustic interlude called 'Nature' which serves as an effective introduction to 'Nature's Girl', which immediately explodes into a speedy riff layered by echoing, sparse vocals. Before long the song is segueing seamlessly between an ethereal chorus and the tearaway riff, and it's then that you realise that the album has you hooked.
The space-rock workouts in some of the songs fit in perfectly with the more aggressive sections that usually precede them, and the melodic vocals and perfectly flowing song compositions add to the effect of the songs. This album might not be for everyone - I especially wouldn't recommend it to people who just couldn't get into King's X - but for me, it's a good alternative to the staple diet of grindcore, death metal and metallic hardcore I've been gorging myself on lately.
8.5/10
