Rating: NNNN
Walking a knife’s edge between hypnotic, droned-out melodies and tense, discomfitting moments, the first full-length collaboration between former Swans vocalist Jarboe and Jesu main brain Broadrick almost manages to lull one to sleep with the promise of dark, strange and hazy dreams to follow.
Musically, J2 is an accurate distillation of Jarboe’s previous work with Swans and her ability to use her voice in unusually versatile ways, as on Tribal Limo. And Broadrick’s meditative drone remains consistently aggressive and introspective.
The vocal arrangements of these six lengthy songs are frail, off-kilter and eerily melancholic, while the album’s density requires additional listens to catch the full scope of the project.