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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Jets to Brazil: The future is now for Blake Schwartzenbach
Wednesday 23 July @ 15:25:04 |
 by Wyn Douglas
In 1909, this guy named F.T. Marinetti wrote “The Founding Manifesto of Futurism.” Futurism turned out to be this aesthetically based philosophy where history (books, museums, art, etc.) was the enemy and embracing technology and anything new was the way to go. Sentimentality, of course, went right out the window.
Jets to Brazil’s latest album, Perfecting Loneliness, has been met primarily by a critical audience wearing a decidedly anti-Futurist pair of glasses. I’ve read more than a few critiques of JTB frontman Blake Schwarzenbach’s latest musical creation, most of them wishing Perfecting Loneliness sounded more like his previous band Jawbreaker, or a rehash of the Jets’ first album, the well-received Orange Rhyming Dictionary.
Well, of course it’s easy to like Orange Rhyming Dictionary if you’re a Jawbreaker fan. It sounds a lot like Jawbreaker. But tell me this: what’s the point of ignoring or rejecting an album with beautifully crafted lyrics, melodies and dynamics just because you like this other band the lead singer used to be in almost seven years ago?
Although I personally don’t want to throw out history (Jawbreaker was one of the best punk bands ever, you know it’s true), I also don’t want to throw out sentimentality, something Schwarzenbach has relied on since Jawbreaker’s first album, Unfun, came out in 1990. They say it’s tough to keep a band together longer than eight years. Jawbreaker was no exception. Schwarzenbach must be wondering when people will completely accept that Jawbreaker broke up.
He’s certainly not resting on his laurels waiting around for condolences from anyone though. Perfecting Loneliness is the strongest example to date of Schwarzenbach telling listeners loud and clear that he’s not in Jawbreaker anymore, but he’s still doing what made people fall in love with the band that wrote “Boxcar.”
Not only does this album say that Jets to Brazil is not Jawbreaker, it’s got a lot more to say when it comes to crafting pop music. If you listen to the album once you’ll hear Beatles, Elton John, classic rock, Ben Folds maybe, and about a million indie bands that never got the attention they deserved. For about an hour, Jets to Brazil plays twelve tracks of pure indie-pop perfection.
So, maybe you’re thinking that Perfecting Loneliness is some rehash of the last thirty years of rock and pop.
Please, Blake Schwarzenbach rehashing? Hardly. What he’s really doing with Perfecting Loneliness is letting everybody know that Blake Schwarzenbach, the same man who wrote “Condition Oakland,” can write indie pop/rock songs that stand up to 99 percent of all previous pop offerings. Throughout though, he still sings with gravel in his throat, wears his heart on his sleeve and still knows how to play his guitar dialed in at 11.
If the music Jets to Brazil has put out on their three albums isn’t enough to make you at least respect the band, maybe their recent history is. In the span of six months (October ’02 – March ’03) they cancelled a tour due to Schwarzenbach’s bouts with depression and lost a founding member (drummer Chris Daly) who was quickly replaced. Undeterred, the ever diligent Jets are now back out on the road and finishing up a tour that started in May.
So what the hell was all that stuff about the Italian guy and the anachronistic philosophy? My point is this: don’t live in Blake Schwarzenbach’s past. Embrace the change from what he did in Jawbreaker and take Perfecting Loneliness for what it is. It’s an emotional trip through piano ballads, loud guitars, brilliant lyrics and most importantly—perfect pop. Of course, this Marinetti guy was kind of crazy. He advocated fascism and taking pills instead of eating anything. How did I manage to write about Jawbreaker and Jets to Brazil without once using the word “emo”?
Jets to Brazil plays Thu., July 24, at 6 p.m. at First Avenue. With local-band-of-the-moment The Monarques, $12. All-Ages. 701 First Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8388.
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