Album Review: The Baptist Generals - Jackleg Devotional To The Heart
- Written by Nicko Ruddock
After 10 years of hiding away under what we can only assume was a rock, Indie folk ensemble The Baptist Generals are back with a new album; Jackleg Devotional to the Heart is a beautiful collection of acoustic numbers which step outside the boundaries of contemporary pop music. By lacking the usual fear that they might 'do something wrong' The Baptist Generals have allowed their music to move up to a higher plateau above the norm. The entire album boasts an organic, warm vintage sounding production which is akin to the hiss laden tracks recorded back in the ‘60s; a production choice which suits the folk vibe right down to the ground.
Jackleg Devotional to the Heart opens with 'Machine En Propepsis' leading directly into ‘Dog That Bit You’ which, in all honesty, is a slightly strange choice as an introduction. This is due to the wildly differing electronic textures appearing almost alien against the remainder of the album. Despite it being a strange introduction to an almost entirely acoustic collection of songs, it would have been a fantastic change of pace if placed only a few songs in, seeing the music still boasts some interesting rhythms and tones throughout the guitar parts. For instance, the flamenco sounding guitar that is introduced right from the beginning is later developed so that it flies from speaker to speaker giving a wide illusion of sound that's particularly pleasing.
‘Oblivion’ is another interesting track that captures your attention. Starting as a simple guitar based ballad, it soon becomes interesting as the vocals are added to push and pull the timing by slowing and speeding up during phrases; albeit in a stylistic way that doesn’t make him sound like that drunken regular down at your local karaoke night. The later minute of the track changes into a faster paced ambient ‘free for all’ as each layer evolves and more reverb is added thus giving it a feel somewhat similar to a ‘60s psychedelic piece. This is a perfect example of how they remove themselves from the rigid form of contemporary pop to great effect. Another fantastic track that shies from the norm in a similar fashion is ‘Floating’, a gentle guitar and vocal performance that is simple, relaxing and pleasing to listen to if you can make it past the minute and a half of seemingly random psychedelic noise.
Above all, ‘My O My’ is an emotional ballad that really stands out. Being the longest piece on the album, it boasts a short string introduction that soon drops down to merely an acoustic guitar and probably the most emotive vocal performance on the entire album. Throughout the track more and more instruments are added and the dynamics increase gently as they build up to the tear jerking finale; this is definitely one piece of music that should not be missed at any cost.
Ultimately Jackleg Devotional to the Heart is a brilliant collection of music that is ideal for anyone who is not afraid to dive into something a little bit different.
Jackleg Devotional to the Heart is out now and available from amazon
and iTunes.
