Jets to Brazil
“Four Cornered Night”
(Jade Tree Records)
If I were on a jet to Brazil, I would probably be going to Rio de Janeiro-”European style sunbathing”, nahsayin’? If I were in a record store with $10 in my pocket, I would probably buy the new Jets to Brazil LP “Four Cornered Night“.
This second offering from the Jets sounds markedly different from their initial effort “Orange Rhyming Dictionary“, also on Jade Tree. The majority of the tracks on Dictionary were songs lead singer Blake Schwarzenbach wrote following the demise of his legendary outfit Jawbreaker. As such, “Four Cornered Night” is more of an amalgam of all members of the band.
The guitars aren’t as grating, the tempos are slowed, and Schwarzenbach’s angst is (at least in part) replaced by the cello and the piano. While some may feel this is a case of too many chefs spoiling the broth; the result is a thoroughly engaging and unique recording. Even if Jets to Brazil’s “Four Cornered Night” is not as groundbreaking as their earlier effort, it is nonetheless a worthy sophomore follow up.
