Review Summary: The problem that hindered 'Choose A Bright Morning' seems to stick with the band and their latest release.
As I’ve noticed from the only review on this site by Adam Turner-Heffer not many people seem to know anything about Jeniferever. Of course, we can all notice the terrible band name, but let me enlighten you on some background information. Formed in Uppsala, Sweden of ’96, Jeniferever have been a distinct niche in the music community. Their music generally tends to be a laid-back with post-rock melodies that conjoin with their soft spoken lyrics. Their first release was called ‘Choose A Bright Morning’ which was a solid effort, but considering it was their debut it was a high point for the band to emerge from. Now to the present, they’ve released this EP signaling for their future LP. The ‘Nangijala EP’ stems only 3 tracks with roughly a 21 ½ minute length when put together.
Surprisingly Jeniferever’s ‘Nangijala EP’ begins immediately with vocals. As always soft-spoken, the problem starts from the beginning. The same thing that marred Jeniferever’s debut ‘Choose A Bright Morning’ seems apparent already. Their post-rock melodies never reach a critical point of build up. Sure this isn’t necessarily a problem all the time, but it keeps the music at a steady pace that seems boring to most of us as listeners.
The vocals throughout the album are hit or miss. The nonchalant vocal energy that is exhibited throughout by the lead singer is somewhat passive and uninspiring. Lyrically the band isn’t all that bad. Their lyrics meld well with their atmosphere and works well for them. Nothing ground-breaking (really difficult to do in many genres, not just post-rock) and their vocals are the one distinct factor they have going for them (many non-vocal post-rock bands). Unlike other bands that have used vocals with post-rock atmosphere like Moving Mountains, their vocals work well at some points, yet they are burdened with mediocre post-rock build ups. You could say this problem is the opposite for Moving Mountains in some ways. Jeniferever’s goal is to relax the listener, but it just doesn’t feel interesting enough in many parts. The title track spirals out too long stretching to 9:35, where it would have been better suited somewhere around the 8 mark.
The relatively odd beginning that is “When Our Hands Clasped” is bogged down vocally. The guitar work is interesting and memorable, by far the best track on the EP. The track encompasses a steady amount of low energy from drumming with guitar strums that become more developed as the track goes on. The piano makes some relative small appearances throughout keeping us involved. Once the track decides to exude some force around 4 minutes it ends in a perfect manner, never extending beyond what it needs to.
As stated before, Jeniferever’s main selling point is the fact they try to meld a somewhat post-rock atmosphere with vocal work. The biggest problem is most definitely the lack of energy and enthuisam the vocalist exhibits. The lyrics themselves work well with the melodies, but the vocals and the atmosphere seems mediocre. The post-rock build-ups or lack there of are boring and the vocals just make it stick out even more. Jeniferever’s debut was decent breath of fresh air, but the ‘Nangijala EP’ doesn’t seem to build on their relative solid beginnings. The EP only comes off as an average release, with only a few moments that spark some interest. Let us just hope they decide to improve for their next LP.
