So you think you have heard it all? Maybe you have or maybe you just haven’t being looking for new challenges for your ears. Anyway, here’s one for you and said challenge comes from a band by the name of Jack O’ The Clock and their album goes by the name of “How Are We Doing and Who Will Tell Us?”
Make no mistake, this won’t be album for everybody as, whilst there is melody aplenty, Jack O’ The Clock take us on a journey away from the three minute pop song to a nirvana of freeform yet relaxed musical complexity. On that journey, there is much to admire from the window with Curved Air, Lalo Schifrin, Philip Glass and even European ambient electronica getting a wave as the band passes them by. Pulling this kind of trick off takes no small amount of skill and that, perhaps, is the key to this album as with such skilled musicians more chances can get taken. Likewise, without the dubious objective of impressing through sheer loudness, the band can use dynamics and organic time signatures to make their point.
The actual point here, however, is that we have a band that can go from synergistic synchronicity (“Last of the Blue Bloods”) to inspired Americana (“Shrinking”) and even to freeform post rock (“First Of The Year”) without breaking sweat. This kind of commitment and imagination is certainly commendable and while they do stretch themselves a bit too far at times, Jack O’ The Clock easily make their mark on your musical consciousness. All in all, this album is well worthy of your attention and I, for one, look forward to their further experimentations.
Available as a download from CD Baby.