Music Spectrum went on an unscheduled hiatus in recent months. This review is part of the “basement notebooks”—old reviews written by hand but only being posted online. Enjoy!
For well over a year now, I’ve been grooving out to Just Jack’s Overtones, continually drawn deeper by the beats and words. Just Jack (Jack Allsopp) lays down British white rap/hip hop with the right blend of pop, rock, beats, rap, samples, and such.
Despite it being somewhat of an academic exercise, there’s a way to outline a whole adult Bible study based on each track of Overtones. (There’s an emphasis on “adult” Bible study because of some of the mature themes). Like I’ve done with Strata and So Many Dynamos, here’s a quick rundown of the topics to be explored for each track.
Writer’s Block—With its lyric about being in love with Lois Lane and Mary Jane, it’s a song for talking about the balance between rejecting complacency versus living in a fantasy world.
Glory Days—Great song for saying, “Let us rejoice in the day the Lord has made,” as Jack sings, “It’s just another one of those glory days/Jump out yer bed, shake yer head, and clear the haze/Step out yer house and prepare to be amazed.”
Disco Friends—The emptiness of certain friendships.
Straz in their Eyes—One of my favorite tracks which throws up a grooving rhythm in the face of false hope and the false promises of fame.
Lost—In its starkness, the storyline unearths the temptation of adultery and the emptiness of materialism.
I Talk Too Much—If there was no other reason, I’d still use this track because it features Kylie Minogue. However, in its admission of talking too much is an opening for discussion about self-awareness.
Hold On—Both a resignation about what is and a rejoicing in what you have.
Symphony of Sirens—As the original mythological creatures worked to undo their prey, a sexual fantasy/affair leads to crashing on the rocks.
Life Stories—Focus on the other with this song; “We’re just a siphon the sounds come through/and it’s all for you.”
No Time—Reality check for real life marriage hopes. Here are the positives and negatives of a relationship.
Mourning Morning—If the reality check still didn’t help you get through the doldrums and the squalls, this song is for the day after she’s gone and what that might do to your mind-heart-soul condition.
Spectacular Failures—The title alone suggests the Christian’s dualism of being sinner/saint in this life. Or I suppose to match the title’s syntax, saintly sinners.
Just Jack
Overtones was originally released on TVT Records which was purchased earlier in 2008 by The Orchard.
