For those of you who have never heard Jaga Jazzist, there is never a better time to notice them then now. They were a notorious ten piece jazz/electronica band from Norway, and their two most acclaimed albums "Livingroom Hush" and "The Stix" were evident of the unique sound they have captured. But (huge timpani drum roll)
"What We Must" has taken the music of Jaga Jazzist to new heights. They've added progresssive rock in the mix. Just when you think rock bands like Tool and The Mars Volta have tried to recapture the beauty that was the 70's progressive rock...the only band that succeeds wasn't even notorious as a guitar based outfit. "What We Must" is a seven song musical journey that basically mounts with one orgasmic moment after the other. The sound is adventurous, interesting, and far more emotional than the previous JJ releases. The music never gets dull or boring, with long stretches of repetitiveness. the closest thing to compare it to is The Mahavishnu Orchestra, but unlike them Jaga Jazzist never has a melody or guitar solo or whatever the causes a diversion to the music as a whole. Every instrument complements one another well. There is always something new around the corner that raises the listeners eyebrows...starting with the intro song...
..."All I Know Is Tonight" is already so immediately gorgeous and extatic, with them beautiful guitar melodies scattered all over in the intro like a huge flock of butterflies. The main melody is caused by a horns and vocals almost blened together as if they were never seperate sound. Alot of times, these instrumental bands have trouble producing melodies that are memorable. Not jaga Jazzist. I'm not trying to be too detailed in track-by -track...I don't want to spoil too much. This is one of the best openers...it soars. It shines. And wonderfully exotic.
On with "Stardust Hotel" which is a slower paced track. But not any less gorgeous. The melodies are just fairytale-like and arranged very uniquely to complement one another. Just wow. The flute seem to scream out loud almost sounding like a voice, while the driving bassline cuts through like a razor. It another very arranged song, so I'm not going in detail...but the melodies have a very triumphant positive vibe. About three and a half minutes into the song, it gets very quiet, almost ambient. The horns sound like a whale singing...so amazing. I love how the song lingers in this quietness...and those amazing sounding guitars call for another heavenly joyride. I'm speechless.
Time to settle down a bit after these two masterpieces. "For All You Happy People" is the albums shortest track. It's revolved around a smooth jazzy clarinet. The song has no real structure or dynamics...it drags about like a river. It has some beautiful magic sounding acoustic guitars. The song reaches it's climax when the melodies are carried by a pretty straight up drum beat.
"Oslo Skyline" is valving around tiptoeing melodies and tribal like percussion. This song has much more freeflowingness than the other rythm based tracks. Around 2:30 some nice vocals come in...suddenly stop...and the song finally becomes heavier. Amazing powerful climax.
"Swedenborgske ROM" is the albums longest track. Starting with searching and swaying melodies...followed by an incredible part that is mostly just vocal harmony. Almost effortlessly after this great sequence, the melodies from the intro seem to continue their pursuit. I love how this follows with a quieter moment, where the piano melodie just shines in it's simplicity. Goosebumps as the drums build up gradually...the song seems to open up like a flower here. Just blooming, building up in tension...with those AMAZING heavenly vocals. And when the drums come in....well, I just have no words for it. It's pretty darn to hard to match such beauty. This song seems to follow the postrock formula than any other...not really being very dynamic...just being slow and very gradually building up to a climax...and amazing one. The song ends very quietly with that piano melody...and some nice soothing female vocals....oooh baby. Probably the albums highlight...but there are so many.
Here we go with the more playful natured "Mikado". This song is probably the oddest one on this album....with a cool intense tom based beat...and the bassline and electronic blipping provind extra drive. The soundscapes just soars overhead. The song seems to pretty much flow along, intil about 4 minutes...where the drums disappear. Amazing melodies...guitars, horns and very icy ethreal vocals.
"I Have A Ghost, Now What?". What now huh? I guess with music of this epic proportion the final track shouldn't disappoint. Hell no. This track is a bit darker and sinister in mood than the rest of album. Around two and a half minutes, a very basic beat some in with cool vocal melodies. There is a very nifty melody-thingumbabob with a xylophone in this song and percussion...I never really quite heard anything like it. It sounds different from the rest of the album. It almost sounds like two diffferent musical pieces being played simulateously at times. The song ends with very dark, brooding melodies and a army like marching drums. It's quite haunting...but serves an interesting climax to this record.
Best album of 2005...in my opinion, it is. It's a beautiful compelling journey. The great thing is that each track is composed with a different approach...and different progressions. Some tracks are very dynamic and intense...others linger on to a slower progression. The variation between the tracks keep the listener on it's toes. This is a masterpiece.
