I to Sky

Well it seems to have been several aeons since their debut, but at last JJ72 are back. And it's not bad at all. There's no radical departure from style, as a whole the album is easily recognisable as JJ72. As a whole the album is of a similar quality to the eponymous debut, though I think at the moment I prefer the first album. (But bear in mind I've only owned I To Sky for two days.) I think the songs are a shade more polished on this album, though perhaps at the expense of a slightly rawer, more fragile, emotional side. There's nothing with quite the emotions of October Swimmer, or my favourite song of JJ72's, Improv. But I think this is a more mature album, certainly. The sound of a piano is present as well, opening an avenue which adds another dimension which I think could have been more exploited. Hopefully there will be lots of time to do that, however. Another comment is that the artwork is enjoyable, not over the top, but noticeable enough to be attractive.

Here's a fairly brief song-by-song run-down of my opinions after two days of owning it, and a couple of listens:

Nameless - A nice gentle start, just voice and piano, not a song that's going to revolutionise the music world, but I don't think anyone could seriously find fault with it, it's charming. A new style for JJ72, and one I think should have been developed far far more on this album, and hopefully will do on future ones.

Formulae - Chances are you've heard it before, a much heavier, rockier song, not the best on the album by any means, but a good song nonetheless, all the JJ72 trademarks are here.

I Saw A Prayer - A weird distorted vocal intro gives way to a more traditional song, a good melody, strong guitar.

Serpent Sky - This is a really good song; syncopated, distorted guitar leads the way in a heavy, but not especially loud manner, lyrically a bit more abstract, but in a good way. Percussion gets a bigger role, in this song which I think should last a bit longer - though I'd rather a song went on for too little than went on too long and flogged a dead horse.

Always And Forever - More subdued, still a steady beat, but guitars aren't as prominent. This is one is a bit dull for me, it doesn't seem to do much. Not intrinsically bad, just mediocre.

Brother Sleep - Pleasant acoustic strummings start the song off, a better effort than the previous song, in my opinion. Lyrically one of the strongest songs on the album, a nice touc of imagery, and abstract vagueness that I like, for example "The eyes of the toys are moving, it's here everything that never lived is alive." There are some great harmonies in here as well.

Sinking - Some interesting bass noises give way to a medium-tempo soft song, which I like a lot, the melody line is strong, the lyrics are again quite poetic, and are a strong point, in my view. A nice instrumental ends the song, which passes the 7 minute mark, and one of the gentler, and certianly one of my favourite songs.

7th Wave - An average song really, again it wasn't really bad, it just didn't inspire me to feel for it greatly.

Half Three - Uptempo, jangly and merry guitar riff, though not to the point of being farcical, quite smooth actually, and the guitar part is probably the best part of the song

Glimmer - another more up-tempo one, and again a sort of classic JJ72 one, although I couldn't point to a specific song from their debut, it sounds very much like it could easily come from it. Another of my personal favourites at the moment.

City - Similiar in style to Glimmer, though in my opinion not nearly as good. The bouncy guitar and piano riff gets a bit tedious after a while, however, it is still a good song

Oiche Mhaith - No idea on the title, perhaps something Gaelic? Anyhow, this is a lovely song, nice fragile acoustic number, I sat throughm ost of the album the first time fearing there would be no acoustic one, luckily Oiche Mhaith didn't let me down.

To summarise: If you like the first album, it's a fairly certain bet you'll like this one. If you didn't, you probably won't. If you're new to JJ72, perhaps just for chronolgy's sake, you should get the debut first, but this wouldn't be a bad place to start either.

This album is made of gold. Irish, thundering gold. Whereas with their debut album JJ72 created a dozen individual songs, roughly half good and half not-so-good, I to Sky gives you one giant song, twelve tracks long, divided only perhaps by first single Formulae. But that's not to say every song sounds the same. It's just this album has an atmosphere, from beginning to end, and that atmosphere is thick and gold.

The problem with the first album was that in places it sounded like a cross between audio marmite and sugar granules. For a year I skipped every non-single track because I thought the others were terrible. But what I did like I loved, and so I bought I to Sky as soon as it came out.
I've had it for a week now and still, even with my low musical metabolism, do not grow tired. Almost every moment of I to Sky is mighty; the only real issue is over-repetition of choruses. But the first time you listen to this album, before you know any of it, it's like you're in this whole new physical claustrophobic guitar-place reality made of glorious golden music. I mean, it's no Origin of Symmetry, but it's still excellent.
The songs have a fair amount of religious lyrics, the reasons for which are explained by the band in the magical multimedia part of the CD, but fortunately this doesn't make any self-respecting atheist want to be sick as can be a problem with some bands. The language is more descriptive of melodic happiness and (less so) distant apathy than having any axe to grind.
Low points are rare but include (in my opinion) sections of Always and Forever and the closing track. I miss the clean-cut awesomeness of October Swimmer and the almost-funny Long Way South - but there's hypercompensation in the form of Serpent Sky, which is essentially a surround-sound malevolent Irish storm with a melody surging through it - as well as the space-palace of sound that is I Saw a Prayer, and the general mini-epic fantasticality of 7th Wave and Half Three.

The whole thing surprised me in its might because, while most bands wait for public permission to evolve, JJ72 just did it anyway. It is this self-given empowerment (mixed with some choral tragedy) that acts as a theme for the whole album in terms of its unique and mass-personal sound. Buy this and you'll love it like you love Origin of Symmetry. Only not quite as much.

JJ72 made quite an impression with their debut album thanks to a string of hits and some great performances and reviews. While they weren't media darlings they seemed moments away from becoming huge. If their second album could improve upon the first and reach a wider audience then the world was theirs. New songs had been touted and heard at live shows before the release of their follow-up and it seemed clear that we would be getting more of the same- heavy, angst fuelled tracks with powerful melodies. Wherever the decision or decisions came from though, for some reason something went wrong during production. Many of the tracks were watered down, over produced, and in some cases the melodies were changed meaning the tracks left here are not as forceful as when they were first performed. On top of that their record company didn't seem interested in promoting the album- bizarre when the band were a ready made hit machine. Maybe the wrong songs were picked as singles and some of the anthemic charm is missing from the debut. The album was quickly forgotten. On the whole though this is a more coherent and mature album than their debut and has less of the quiet/loud dynamic which either highlighted or plagued that album. There are plenty of storming tracks and it is the wiser sibling to the debut's screaming upstart.

`Nameless' is a gorgeous opener, as soft as tracks like Willow, Desertion, and Wounded. It almost feels like the short introduction to a concept album. With simple piano backing Mark's voice the verse and chorus come together in yet another tender moment of brilliance.

`Formulae' was one of the earliest songs that the band played before the album was released. The album vocals are much more, dare I say girly, that the earlier version and the vocal ticks he adds here in the pre-chorus were absent. If you don't know the early takes this probably won't affect you but I find it annoying and ask myself why they were added to a perfectly good song. This is as close to the anthems of the last album with a big chorus begging to screamed along with, though I find the melodies more bland and less affecting than the previous singles.

`I Saw A Prayer' opens oddly with weird vocals and effects before breaking down to the bouncy verse. This is all immediately catchy in its simplicity and it peaks with some excellent pre-chorus work. The lyrics seem a bit tacked on and while the chorus melody isn't extraordinary, it does have some nice backing distortion. The ominous ending fits nicely with the next track.

`Serpent Sky' pushes the album into a higher gear, sounding like Joy Division at their angriest but given a more estranged edge thanks to Mark's vicious vocals. The song has a building technique, starting with jagged guitars before the vocals come in. These both gradually get louder and more harsh until the noise filled middle section. There is no chorus here, it is just the building and repetition of the verse, growing more distorted with each phase.

`Always And Forever' has a sparkly quality and an instant infectious pop feel. Though the melodies are effective and the chorus is catchy there seems to be something lacking, perhaps a bit of extra force. It sounds like it doesn't know whether to be completely soft or take off during the chorus and gets lost somewhere in between.

`Brother Sleep' is where the album really begins, as every track from here is strong. This again shows the softer side of the band and is amongst their best ballads. They show how to write a soft, melancholy, yet inspiring acoustic track without every drifting off into the realms of self indulgence or cheese. The lyrics are not the best and Mark seems to obsessed with making sure everything rhymes but the themes and emotions shine through brightly nonetheless. This is one of the many reasons why the band should never be forgotten. The chorus lyrics here are borrowed from the original version of City.

`Sinking' shows the heavier side of the band, although it is much more restrained from the likes of Bumblebee. There is plenty of swirling and there are effects on the bass and guitars. Great rhythm work and vocals throughout and of course the melodies are a success. This too has an effective building quality which pays off at the sublime, simple chorus. The song does stretch out perhaps too far towards the end, but it is another classic.

`7th Wave' begins quite ominously but once the drums and riff come in this becomes a straightforward rock song. Once again we have the continuous building technique rather than the traditional verse chorus verse style. It flows nicely and is fairly peaceful until around halfway when Mark whips the big vocals out and we get some wonderful chaos.

`Half Three' has some annoying drum sounds but aside from it we have strong melodies, good vocals, and memorable riffs. The verses here serve as platform for some big choruses which will stay lodged in your head.

`Glimmer' is a forgotten track, strange as there I can't find any fault with it. The verse sounds very pop oriented and light, while the chorus has a much darker vibe, but it is catchy throughout, the lyrics are fine and the vocals and playing are good.

`City' is my personal biggest let down on the album. The original version of this was much stronger and more effective while this sounds over produced and filtered. There was a tonne of emotion, different lyrics, and it was heavier on the whole. Here we get silly computer beats, a completely different rhythm, and some nice piano. Although to fit the overall tone and feel of this album the song had to change and this is what we are left with. It is still a decent song, but that original was perfection.

`Olche Mhalth' closes the album in slow, sombre style. This could be the best track on the album, never getting heavy but remaining both filled with despair and unremittingly hopeful. The hypnotic riff will sink into you slowly, the lyrics are poetically simple, and those melodies are marvels.

The reasons for JJ72's demise have never been clear, a sad mix of not being overtly commercial and not following the trendy sounds of the time, with poor record backing and poor choice of singles. All we are left with is a second album packed with beauty and emotion which doesn't have the sheer force of the original but replaces it with a more world weary knowing. For any fans bemoaning their loss- they left behind a slew of b-sides and rarities- classics such as Guidance, Desperation, and Wounded, and tracks which may have made their third album (and showed a much more upbeat commercial side) such as the awesome Coming Home, Take From Me, and Radio. Check them out (if you can find them) as they are wonderful as anything they have released.