Review Summary: Transcendentalism
The project of ex-Articles of Faith frontman Vic Bondi, Jones Very were just as politically charged and angry as their predecessors. Playing a range of styles including indie, hard rock, emo and highly melodic hardcore (please note that I use melodic as an adjective there), the band’s punky bursts of rage are no mere gimmick a la Rage Against the Machine, this is a band whose passion for change seeps into the very fibre of their music. Opener Yesterday In the Western World laments the loss of the yesteryears with bright, punky riffs and thick, throbbing basslines. It’s an unmistakably hardcore opener that bristles with an unquenchable thirst for change, but, thanks to Bondi’s fast, strangulated cries acting as the primary point of interest, it’s a little hard to interpret what exactly the thirst is for. But what Bondi’s lyrics aren't vital , as the song packs so many infectious hooks into such a short runtime that it becomes pretty obvious that what Vic is hollering about is something pretty important, and a quick analysis of his other work reveals his mindset wasn't a very positive one.
Ash and Dust floats up out of the wreckage just likes its namesake and carries on as Bondi molds his chaotic performance into something far more accessible and sings every single note. The band still play to their strengths with excellent production that features a driving rhythm guitar and a drum performance so constantly innovative it’s a wonder that the band can even keep up with his marvellous playing. The title track is more of the same, this time drawing on the bass and guitar to create a haunting backdrop for his equally spine-chilling performance. It’s very easy to picture Bondi hunched over his mic screaming every word with his intensely vitriolic tone. But the spotlight mustn’t be placed solely on his vocals, for the performance of every member here is just as excellent, especially the bassist who on every track here ensures to tone his performance down to display just the right amount of suppressed, bubbling rage. The brooding vocals of Letting Go In Time are just the prelude to a heavy, emo/hardcore crossover track that really shows where so many modern guitarists get their tones from. But no matter how dark the tracks get, Bondi’s rage brings everything back to the primary dynamic: aggression.
Clearly this is a record written by the alienated, the frustrated. A very extensive lyric search reveals Bondi’s left-wing lyrics are a lot more subtle and well thought out than one would expect from a band dubbing themselves as ‘political’.
''past the nuclear age
The American century lasted barely a decade
Things fall apart and fade away
Past nostalgic hate
Looking back on a new generation of waiters
In hell they watch heaven on television
Its yesterday in the western world''
The fact that this is the only lyric sample I could locate implies that Bondi always care more about the music than ramming a message down people’s throats, and it emerges in musical form too. A lot of bands would be content with making an eleven track album brimming with various forms of societal-induced rage, but Jones Very are able to do exactly that with ten times the diversity. Desperation Bends brings the emo influence full circle with the rousing hook ‘we’ll stay high tonight’ and doesn’t really say that much else lyrically, but the percussion is so infectious and the bassline so groovy that it puts most modern bands to shame with its simple yet wholly effective message.
The second half of the album seems to swap between bouts of noisy, drum addled fury and the more restrained, almost grunge-influenced tales of woe. Even the religious themes of Jesus…I don’t come across as corny (and believe me they would if any other band tried them) because of how incredible Bondi is at making himself not only seem like someone with something to say but also someone so incredibly talented that he has the ability to transform such tired song-subjects into rousing anthems. Technical ability be damned, these songs succeed because they’re catchy, memorable, and towards the end of the album more than a little repetitive.
But why would you stray from such a well-thought out formula? Well, Granted (that’s the song Granted) is the only track here that doesn’t really impress that much, largely down to Bondi’s vocals being slightly off and the song itself repeating so many of its lyrics it becomes a little tiresome. Luckily, the song that succeeds it is such a killer that no compensation is necessary. Buzzing guitars are the primary source of sheer heaviness on this song, but the eerie keyboard sounds and the distinctly hard rock solo and vocals (the usual ‘YEEEEEEEEAH’ outbursts included) are a little too unconventional. But while experimentation with one of the cheesiest genres known to man could have resulted in disaster, instead the style is converted, in usual Bondi style, into something entirely the opposite of its standard commercial value.
As with all hardcore albums, the last track is the one that brings everything to a close. Just as the album starts with a bang, it ends with one too. Red Sky Dry does indeed show that, while things do run a little dry towards the end, there’s enough left to push out one last burst of vexation. It’s an apocalyptic ending to an album desperately yearning for a new beginning. So here I am, enjoying what I can see is a seminal release, and realising that in terms of the bands pushing the emo/hardcore boundaries today, they all draw influences from bands such as this. So there you have it, Words and Days is a record by a band who have not only flawlessly merged genre boundaries but have delivered an important message without sounding preachy. Full of astoundingly simple songs that impress more every time as their subtleties are slowly revealed, this record is one of the true hidden gems of the eighties.
