Review

"Perfect hips, perfect hips, she was
Perfect lips, pieces of your heart, splattered on the cliff."

We occasionally get real strange requests here at ScaryMinds, and I've got to say one of the weirder ones has been a few people asking what music goes down in the Bunker that dripped blood. Okay so we're not into that strange Euro death metal and the like, so very little dark genre music is blasting out of the speakers. Naturally we do however play a lot of Downunder CDs to get the review juices flowing. Therefore by popular demand reviews of the stuff we are giving a spin, kicking off with The Jezabel's third EP Dark Storm. Enjoy the review, go buy yourself the EP, and stop bothering us with weird requests yo!

The titular track kicks off festivities with Samuel Lockwood's guitar work leading into Hayley Mary's excellent vocals ensuing we know we're in for a good time with the Sydney Indie outfit's latest release in a trilogy of EPs. Lacking a bass player, Heather Shannon's keyboards keep the rhythm happening, while Samuel Lockwood is exemplary on drums. I was immediately struck with how tight the sound was, and the improvement the band continues to demonstrate with each new release. Dark Storm, the title track, demonstrates just how distinctive The Jezabels have become, with the band now fully comfortable with their sound.

Just a slight digression, does anyone else find Mary's vocals remind them of Kate Bush at her best?

Perhaps the most accessible track on the EP, Mace Spray sees the Jezabels return to their pop orientations from previous EPs in the series. While the track would clearly work as a single, it doesn't descend into the trash pop sensibilities of top twenty commercialism. Hayley Mary is on fire on this one, though she doesn't allow her vocals to go outside her range. If you want an introduction to the band this would be the song to get it, I've included the video clip below.

Sahara mahala, with Nik Kaloper's durms centering the track, leads off the final three rock orientated songs that demonstrate The Jezabels are a live act worth catching. Shannon's keyboards are solid throughout the track, negating any requirement for bass or other rhythm instruments to back up her work. Am I noting a hint of the Cornflake girl in the mix with Mary's vocals?

Another digression, Kaloper's drum work is easy to miss commentating on as it's a superb demonstration of how to drive a song and keep the beat rocking along without dominating the sound.

Perhaps a whole let less accessible is the penultimate track A little piece, which at it's core is the pure Jezabels sound. The whole band come together on a solid rock number that wears it's Indie colours with pride. Mary's vocals reach new levels of weirdness, Kaloper's drums rocket throughout, Shannon's keyboard keeps things focused, and Lockwoods guitar is deft though restrained.

Rounding out the EP She's so hard reminds of previous releases ensuring the listener is aware that the Jezabel's aren't about to abandon their pop/rock roots in the pursuit of a more commercially acceptable sound. Excellent conclusion to a well above average release.

Dark Storm indicates an Indie Rock act able to change tempo and direction without loosing the beat or focus. Each member of the Band takes center stage during the EP's play time, giving the release the distinction of being the tightest Jezabel CD to date. I rocked along to this one and it's there or there abouts on my play list while constructing reviews and working on the site.

Dark Storm is available at all decent music stores, I brought a copy over at JB HiFi. The Jezabels maintain a web presence right here. Please note, as this is my first CD review it's probably complete crap, will try to rock it out better next time y'all.