EP – Wonderful – Jacob Jeffries Band

Posted by admin on September 10th, 2008

With the release of this, the second of three planned releases, we are treated to 7 studio tracks, that show another side of this phenomenal band. That being said, while I thoroughly enjoyed all of the tracks, I think the first EP spoiled me somewhat. Being a huge fan of live music, the first EP was all acoustic and it’s a sound I revel in when given the chance. That’s not to say that these tracks are any weaker, it;’s just my personal preference.

The EP opens with “Mr Weatherbee Freeman” an interesting track that almost fools you into thinking it’s two songs, reminding me a lot of the Beatles, “Day in a Life”. It’s the title track, “Wonderful” which is the jewel in this encrusted crown. This is a track that real shows an accomplished band, but even more so, incredible songwriting. This is the track that brought JJB to my attention, in what seems like a lifetime ago. “Flashlight” while not as electrically charged as the previous track, it does manage to dig it’s hooks in. This was a track that took a while to grow on me, but it’s not hard to fall in love with this track and indeed every track. The music goes a long way to appeasing your ears, but it’s the vocals that for me are the high point of this and the previous EP.

“Take It All Away”, is for me the low point of the EP. A pleasant song indeed, but it just fails to excite me, as the other tracks do. “And I Say” is the studio version of the song that appeared on the first EP and it has a distinctly different flavour. It has a different flavour indeed, but it’s still eminently likable. Actually this is probably up there in my top 3 JJB tracks.

“Head on my Shoulders” has an almost whimsical feel to it, which is in part due to the piano intro. There’s something else there that reminds me of another favourite Indie band of mine, Harvey Danger. The music is in a very similar vein. I’m not complaining not by a long chalk. The last and indeed longest track, musically anyway is “Your Tree”, a real laid back, almost blues number. This is the perfect way to sign off a thoroughly fantastic EP.

The final track with the unusual title of “…” is pretty much Jabob thanking everyone involved. This is a nice addition to the EP, but I would have much preferred it to be a PC only feature, as at 10 minutes, it’s a real pain to have put this on, along with a few other CD’s and have to skip this track, which to be honest you are going to want to do, after you’ve heard it once. So a bit of a downer to finish things off with, but don’t let that put you off a wonderful release.

The next EP is going to be an all live release. This is something I’m very, very excited about. Can’t wait to get my grubby mitts on that one.

Conclusion : The juggernaut that is the Jacob Jeffries Band, motors ever forward. It’s surprising that this time around, JJB still seem somewhat a guilty secret of mine and many podcasters. It’s on a podcast that I first discovered them, but still the rest of the world seems to be taking their time catching on. When they do, look out world, for a shining new star is set to be born.

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