aaamusic | On 02, May 2012

The Samuel Jackson Five release their new album “S/T” adding something new to their style: vocals on some tracks. While SJ5’s last record, “Goodbye Melody Mountain” (2008) was recorded in the wilderness, the brand new album was put together in the middle of Oslo where the band tries to distance themselves from their post-rock roots.
The effort is successful because S/T mixes the progressive sound with 10s one, linking the 60s suites by Pink Floyd and Yes with the “modern” indie music, adding a pinch of retro given by the mandolin.
I can hear influences from Arcade Fire in “Moscow”, the second track, where ethereal choirs melt with mandolin, taking refuge in islands of sonic relaxation limited by drums played with brushes and clear guitars.

On the third track “Electric Crayons”, I found the surprise of vocals. This tune is proper indie, embellished with instrumental virtuosities, drifting away from the usual length of progressive songs, to concentrate its angry scream in less than three minutes.

“Radio Gagarin” is another tribute to Russia, this time The Samuel Jackson Five have chosen a jazzy style, taking inspiration from their countrymen Jaga Jazzist, with the addition on Eastern sounds. After a first part dominated by a soulful piano, the listener is lead to a psychedelic dimension with the loud shriek of theremin (one of my fav instruments, invented by the Russian physicist Theremin, by the way) going in crescendo and taking the listener to the stars, where Gagarin has been.

The comparison with Jaga Jazzist is inevitable, but the truth is that SJ5 have a more modern sound, closer to the English and American ones. On the one hand you can perceive them as more up-to-date, but I am a bit upset because I can’t hear influences from Scandinavia.

“Race to self-destruct botton” is a step towards heavy rock in the manner of Coheed and Cambria, with its three minutes dense of massive guitars. That’s not the best track, I prefer their psychedelic side, like“What floats her boats”, that is the perfect completion of their intentions, grazing a suspense typical of Brian Eno, created by a sort of hypnotic loop that’s the body of the song.
I like how they play some instruments, like the Fender Rhodes on “A perennial candidate”, the first track with a melancholicvein, which puts aside the mannerisms to let the instruments join together in a direct and simply way.

“…And then we met the locals” starts with an electro mood, soon turned into a guitar-lead track, leaving the electro beats on the background. It’s a strange track, like it’s in a fight against itself, wondering if it wants to be a rock, an electro or a prog track, it’s a dispute between three schools of thought represented by an ensemble of various instruments, where the winner seems to be the hysteric sax on the finale.
”Low entropy” clears up the chaos of the previous ten tracks, with a clean line of guitar setting the listener’s mind free of all the massive inputs given by this complex and brilliant album. “S/T” is a very good proof for The Samuel Jackson Five, they can aspire to become a point of reference for their style, and opening themselves to vocals can be a good way to increase the number of their fans.

★★★★★

Author: Roberta Capuano