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(Greg Roth &) The Jillians - Yes (re-issue)
Whenever independent bands go lo-fi, you never really know
whether its for art or frugality. Recording
lo-fi was a previously shunned notion, which originated at first out of
necessity, but then was later embraced as a representation of DIY music.
Despite its increased acceptance and popularity, this recording "style"
can certainly be overdone, which is the case with Greg Roth & The Jillians
full-length re-issue of Yes. For whatever reason, the Jillians appear to be one of
those bands who opt for the lo-fi sound, having recorded three releases in two
years, with
two micsno mixing, no engineering, no overdubbing, and vocals through guitar
amps. While this might work for
a punk band, the recording style detracts heavily from the Jillians
thick-textured music on Yes. At the core of Yes are good, thoughtful songs, but to
be honest, I had trouble hearing them for what they are, and found myself
instead hearing them for what they could be.
For instance, take the opening title track Greg Roths vocals are
muffled as he strains to be heard over Dave Hesters drums. Roths
voice resembles an untamed Elvis Costello, which actually gives the songs some
personality. Yet, its Craig Welters piano/organ playing that really carries
tunes like Your Providence, Las Vegas Wedding, and Memo Of
Love. Still, too often, the
piano is hard to hear, stuck in the background of a muddled clutter of
instrumentation and vocals. Two of the most enjoyable tracks on this disc are the
acoustic Galaxy Girl and Your Providence (solo version).
These tracks also happen to be the only ones on the disc that were
recorded professionally at Lakewood Sound. The Jillians Yes plays like a bootleg recording, without the added perk of having been recorded before a live audience. Its hard to believe that this is a re-issue of their first recording, yet the band still decided to keep the lo-fi sound, and chose instead to add more tracks. I think the Jillians owe it to themselves and their songs to trade in some quantity for quality and record a five or six song EP with proper equipment in a decent studio. Thats right - Im saying lo-fi isnt always better. Lurking in the background of this disc are some great songs. You can call me un-indie or whatever, but Id like to hear these songs at their best.
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