Jensen
Zero One ‘Redux’
5 Track E.P
Armalyte
To be released 27th January 2014
Written for Grave Concerns EZine
Jensen
– Leeds
Links:
www.wearejenson.com
Genre: Melodic Electronic Punk
Press release:
Stadium-sized choruses clashed with undercurrents of rage and
self-loathing, all central themes of the discordant Being championed by the
likes of Kerrang!, Rock Sound and Big Cheese, and securing support slots with
such high profile acts as The Blackout, Funeral For a Friend and Gallows, it
appeared that Yorkshire scream-core outfit Ourfamous Dead had their ascent
through the rock stratosphere all mapped out. Except that these kinds of things
don’t necessarily go to plan. Following
the release of their ‘Claws at the Door’ single, which received extensive
airtime on Kerrang! TV at the time vocalist Andrew Jensen knew it was time for
change, and took the difficult decision to transform Ourfamous Dead into
something greater. Returning to the studio to work alone, Andrew focussed on
tracks that had long lain dormant, which, with the aid of some studio wizardry,
soon sprang to life in the form of bold audio sculptures, nuanced with depth
and shadow.
The fear of failure combined with the sense of loss and despair at
having potentially made a massive error of judgement was channelled into
something that would become much greater than he could ever have conceived,
noise that was soon to escape. Jensen emerged into the light with the three
completed tracks – ‘Ghosts’ , ‘The Corruptor’ and ‘Stars’ - originally released
as the ‘Zero One’ EP in early 2013. Determined to bring the songs to life
beyond the studio, a live band has been recruited consisting of former Our Famous
Dead members: Vier Jennings, Simon Green and Robin Speight. With Jensen now a
fully-fledged outfit, rehearsals are currently taking place for a string of
live dates in early 2014. In addition, Andrew Jensen is also currently in the process of recording the debut Jensen album at his own studio, The Hellion
Corporation, Leeds.
To celebrate Jensen
joining the ever-expanding Armalyte roster, their ‘Zero One’ EP has been fully
re-mastered and supplemented with two additional tracks; a cover of Duran
Duran’s explosive ‘Wild Boys’ plus a remix of the track ‘Ghosts’ by acclaimed
Scottish maths/electronica retro-futurist duo I!. Retitled ‘Zero One [Redux]’,
the E.P will be available as a free download from Monday 27th January,
to coincide with the release of a new promo video for their ‘Wild Boys’ cover.
Ghosts
Tagged as melodic electronic punk, I think this sums them up
perfectly as the music does create a melodic feel, and certainly that
electronic pounding is ever present. However the distortion on this track does
get rather irritating as it takes away its intensity and does not allow it to
breathe, but rather chokes it.
The Corruptor
This track possesses a positive response to its muscular melee, but
again far too much overshadowing distortion lessens its ferocious intensity. It
does however contain some serious ambiance in its wake which in turn does carry
a lot of intrigue making the listener aware that something is going on that is
worthy of further listening.
Stars
Sculpted with an engaging vocal that has more than a hint of punk
attached to it and this is where the punk feel ends and the electronic expanse
takes over. It spawns a catchy chorus, but again far too much distortion masks
its rawness.
Wild Boys
This track taken from Duran Duran is smothered in familiarity as you
would expect, providing you have heard the original and again cloaked in
hideous distortion so unable to enjoy it properly in all its glory. It is like
listening to the band through a wall whilst in another room.
Ghosts (I! have a
Ouija Board Remix)
Gives off an eerie rampage of ghostly sounds with notably less
distortion which allows the listener to fully immerse themselves in its flames
of passion. Although a riveting track, I feel it has now come too late on in
the E.P.
To Sum up:
That was a little disappointing truth be told, but only due to the
ample distortion displayed on four of the tracks, that do not allow the band to
represent themselves fully. If you can listen past that, then what the band
have created is imaginative and they have made that Duran track their own with
thundering riffs and towering electronic rhythms.
I wouldn’t give up on ‘Jensen’
yet though as I feel they do have potential but would say that hiding behind a
lot of distortion is a very bad idea. Whether it was done intentionally I have
no idea, but no matter how much you turn the dials on your speakers nothing
seems crisp, so it just bombards the aural with fluffy edges that take away
from the true intensity that I am sure the band wanted to create.
7/10
Track List:
Ghosts
The Corruptor
Stars
Wild Boys
Ghosts (I! have a Ouija Board Remix)
Members:
Anthony Jensen is vocals - Guitar/Synths,
Vier Jennings – Guitar/Bass/Synths/Drum Machines/Vocals,
Simon Green – Synths/Drum Machines/Vocals
Robin Speight – Drums/Vocals
No comments:
Post a Comment