Review Summary: Something great may soon come from this band struggling to find their sound.
Electric Jesus is an alternative/progressive rock band from Australia. Prior to hearing this album, I had never heard of them. Upon hearing the first track, “Professor Grump’s Rant,” I was excited to have had them chosen for me to review.
As I listened to the next track, “Anthem,” I became aware that Electric Jesus did not intend on pushing the envelope, but rather stuffing it with all they had to give, and sending it into space, if you will. It is a powerful, um, anthem, and it fits in perfectly with my American contemporary rock sensibility.
“Impossible,” the fourth track, offers up an impossibly catchy hook, with attractive instrumentation. It more than makes up for the pace-breaking, “Hero Boy” before it. “Love at a Rock Show” seems to be a perfect title for the next track, as it seems to do little to make it’s own statement, musically, instead- it follows contemporary code, as if we are at any rock show, rather than an Electric Jesus show. “Tell Me” follows and, again, revives the album while showcasing intensely beautiful vocals and an experimental sonic tone.
“Temple Ruins” begins to set a certain standard for the album, with another interesting musical backdrop, showcasing resplendent vocals and an alternate-mindset. “She-Devil” continues to refresh the pallet, before “Defile Defile,” well, destroys it.
‘Desert Mouth’ starts to live up to its name, thereafter, with a bland interlude-type track, which I’m sure has its purpose, however lost in the context it gets. “Monkey Island” and “Your Love Is Easy” both lack the lucidity that the earlier tracks had, and the album ends in a seemingly sour tone with “City of Gold.”
From what I gather, ‘Desert Mouth’ is essentially Electric Jesus’ debut, and it shows, when they are at times, lost within their contemporaries, and at other times, lost altogether. However, what is left is quite enjoyable and thoroughly fresh, at least to my ears.
