Review Summary: Sure to get your head nodding
It's hard to be original in today's musical environment. Since the advent of the digital revolution, it has become increasingly easier for new artists with innovative ideas to enter the fray and woo over listeners with new blends of whatever genre-splicing music it is that they are playing. As a result, entirely new genres, sub-genres, and yes, even sub-sub-genres have popped up all over the map, and copycats of copycats are trying to get in on the action. Due to this, almost every genre is plagued with numerous sound-alikes and consequently, the genre becomes stale, stagnant, and sometimes just plain unappealing. Sure, a lot of the criticism gets directed at genres like metalcore, but really, this is present in just about every genre. So it's nice to see groups like JEFF the Brotherhood that still, despite all of this, create their own, unique spin on the music they play.
JEFF the Brotherhood aren't anything inherently original, but there is something to admire in the way that they do things. They self-produce most everything they do, and guitarist Jake Orrall plays a guitar with only three strings on it, forcing him to find his own unique style in which to play. Beyond that, the band is an absolute workhorse when it comes to touring, playing over 400 shows in just a two year span. Their devoted, intense do-it-yourself work ethic is something rarely seen today. This work ethic is very prominent on
Hypnotic Nights.
The songs presented here are upbeat, fast, and slightly anthemic. The guitars are extremely reverb heavy and most of the songs contain a very prevalent punk influence in their pacing. "Sixpack", "Country Life", and "Hypnotic Mind" are best representative of this structure with catchy hooks, head-bobbing beats, soaring riffs, and pounding drums abound. A lot of the songs follow a similar formula, and as a result the middle of the album does start to drag on, feeling a little too repetitive and samey, and starts to lose its punch.
But JEFF the Brotherhood are at their best when they branch out from their punk-influenced anthems. "Region of Fire" is mostly void of the reverb laden guitar riffs and instead has a psychedelic feel with clanging drum fills and ends with a fairly interesting guitar solo. The Black Sabbath cover "Changes" focuses more on the synth element of the group and allows the vocals to take the forefront of the musical display. "Wood Ox" is quite possibly the best song on
Hypnotic Nights, beginning with a catchy buildup and eventually exploding into the infectious hooks that dominate the rest of the track.
If nothing else, one has to admire the work ethic of JEFF the Brotherhood. Recorded entirely in just seven days,
Hypnotic Nights is a record filled to the brim with infectious hooks and catchy melodies. This record perfectly encapsulates the sing along anthems that must make their live shows, which their fans are so fond of, such a joy to witness. The record does feel samey and a little repetitive at times, but overall,
Hypnotic Nights is a record that, if nothing else, should get your head bobbing along.
