Dirt Jake Replicas are a proggy art-rock outfit from across the pond, and “Part 1” is their first assault on the UK music market. Judging by the restrained and intelligent sound, they probably guess that the UK will be more receptive to their style than the pop-punk-swamped States.
So we’d best not tell them that the UK market is also having a rather dumb phase at the moment, at least at the top of the stack. But down in the cracks, I can imagine Dirt Jake Replicas gaining a good foothold, especially if they can pull of material like “Part 1” in a live setting.
Because “Part 1” is basically a modern progressive metal tune featuring two vocalists, one male and one female, performed with all the distortion and effects boxes switched out of the circuits. The vocals are subtle but passionate, the riffs angular without being abrasive, the rhythms engaging without being obsessive.
Why isn’t there more music like this around? It’s intricate, and it’s pacey … and in some ways it’s still heavy, too. But Dirt Jake Replicas have the knack of making the songs heavy rather than the sounds, and that’s what separates the wheat from the chaff in this bracket.
That said, Dirt Jake Replicas defy easy bracketing, unless you use classic music-hack shorthand and say something like “yeah, they’re like, er, Tool mudwrestling with The Strange Death Of Liberal England on mushrooms in a supermarket carpark!” Which, now I come to think of it, isn’t all that far off the mark as a description of “Part 1” … except maybe the mudwrestling bit. But enough words; go listen to Dirt Jake Replicas, and lets hope someone gets them a support slot over here some time soon.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: art-rock, Dirt Jake Replicas, Part 1, progressive, rock
