Jesu, "Sun Down/Sun Rise"

While the poppier approach taken by Justin Broadrick on the recent Conqueror album has received a mixed response Jesu fans, this double A side EP should restore faith in anyone Conqueror naysayers (myself not included). These two lengthy songs sound more like Jesu's self-titled debut than Broadrick's recent work, slowly building up the pressure before a loud and mighty release.

 

Aurora Borealis

Given the song titles, both are unsurprisingly reminiscent of "Sun Day" from the debut album. However, the more melodic elements that crept in with the following releases is also present.  "Sun Down" shifts between the patented Broadrick heaviness and the dreamy shoegaze textures that he has embraced in these last few years. About halfway through the sound drops dramatically before a gorgeous melody takes over with Diarmuid Dalton's bass providing a warm environment for Broadrick to work in. The heavily processed guitar sound of Fennesz comes to mind, the end result is stunning.

The flipside's "Sun Rise" maintains ideas explored on "Sun Down"—a brooding rumbling sound gives way to several layers of guitar, heavily distorted chords pushed far into the mix with a number of clean guitar tracks creating a shimmering refrain. With each bar, it gets a little more lush as Broadrick adds another element to the sound or just changes the levels between the different components. When Broadrick's lyrics finally come in, they are completely obscured by the music but become clearer and clearer with each repetition. This effect of building the piece up and up works well, Broadrick's treatment of the sound is subtle that it is only after about five minutes it becomes clear that so much has been slowly added to the song.

Sun Down/Sun Rise is further proof that Jesu is some of Broadrick's best work. I have always had a lot of time for all his projects but I feel with Jesu that he has found his voice. Granted that much of his work with Jesu is based within clear limits but considering the vastly different bands and solo projects that he has done in the past, it is silly to think that his work is just more of the same. All of his work is an exploration in sound and the name on the spine is only an indication of what frame of mind he was in at the time of recording this particular release. This EP is sterling work and is definitely up there with the best of Broadrick's output.