Ushered in by a primitive drum machine beat and thick, soaring synth chords that build in heady layers, here is Why Are We Not Perfect, a CD-only EP that features the Jesu songs originally only available on the Eluvium split vinyl album, as well as two new remixes.
Former Godflesh mainstay, Justin Broadrick’ Jesu has gone through many degrees of light and shade over the past 5 years. Here we find the group working nicely in the shadow of the shoegaze sound and sitting comfortably alongside noise makers My Bloody Valentine, M83 and Oxford “gaze kings Ride. Closer in sound to certain elements of his Techno Animal project, Broadrick is reported to have been aiming for a “pop” direction when working on these tracks.
The ep’ opening tune “Farewell†sees Broadricks’ vocals centered just below the surface within the mix amongst growing atmospherics, a tinkling keyboard, coupled with backmasked drums and a lulling vibraphone. The scene is set for the rest of the listening experience, continuing with “Blind & Faithlessâ€, crunching the beat somewhat as guitars swirl all around and a choral wall of voices creep in. Bass tones rumble throughout the ep, giving even the most blissful moments a sense of darkness looming. The two remixes at the end of the ep are reworks of the first two tunes and they present a more stripped back template of the overall sound Jesu have created here.
Why Are We Not Perfect is a rewarding listen, although long time fans may be waiting for a bone crunching guitar riff to intersperse the textures that Jesu have so cinematically embodied on this latest ep. What the band come up with next is anybody’s guess.
Lyndon Pike
