Jesse Sykes amp the Sweet Hereafter - Oh My Girl (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Slow burn

wm | ...onward....thru the fog! | 08/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You might hear echoes of Janis Joplin, a quiet Lucinda Williams, Margo Timmins and Cowboy Junkies, or Jim White. Sykes also sounds a little like Beth Orton stranded in a little western town on the prairie with nothing to eat but peyote. These are just some of the musical references, but hopefully convey the ambience of this album. Jesse Sykes has a sound that blends a bunch of different influences, ultimately making her own sound. It's mesmerizing, intimate, intense late night music. Great CD."

Goth Folk? Alt-Country? No...

trollificus | Zion, USA | 02/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...there's not really an apt categorization for this kind of music, though I understand the necessity of description.

There are some applicable adjectives, though...spooky, spare, echoey, dark, moody, elegaic. Hmmm...that list kind of understates the LIFE in these songs, and doesn't convey the satisfaction derived from the great (though not showy) guitar work. I don't know how good a guitar player Wandscher is, compared to others, but his guitar sure has a lot of perfect notes in it, and he finds them all. (In this respect, it recalls some of the old Neil Young albums.)

I somehow *ahem* got the "You Are Not Gotten Here" track on my computer, and listened the hell out of it, and started to wonder if the REST of their work could possibly sound like that. It does, and it's good. The songs are basically folk songs, and the alt-country labels come from the instrumental lineup of twangy electric and fingerpicked acoustic guitar, viola, pedal steel and upright bass. This is perfect for the songs. Jesse Sykes was quoted as saying that when she first started playing with Wandscher, she felt he was 'building a house the songs could live in'. Very apt.

If you can handle minimalist or downtempo music, if you don't need every song you hear to effect some 150db hormonal change, if your emotional palette extends beyond sex/aggression/coolness*, this is wonderful stuff. Get it.

*-yes, I'm aware those are not actually emotions. Don't blame ME, I'M not the 18-year-old baggypantser listening to cookie-cutter corporap."

Spellbinding

Mark O'Connor | Rothesay, N.B. | 07/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The music is spellbinding. Smoky vocals, plucked acoustic guitar underpinnings, melodious, twangy reverb laden electric guitars, and enchanting harmonies. More accessible with a somewhat warmer feel and a bit quicker pulse than the debut masterpiece Reckless Burning. The pop leanings of Tell The Boys, with a chorus so infectious it should be quarantined, is likely to garner plenty of play on college radio. Fans of Neko Case and Oh Susanna will likely love this."

A Dark and Dreamy Experience

Vito Minerva | Italy | 10/02/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter is currently my favourite band (or should I say my favourite singer backed by an extremely good band?). The song that put the whole thing in motion is "Lonely Still", [...](I hope it has the same effect on you). Riffs by twangy guitars open the song and set the tone for the 5min. dark and atmospheric musical experience.

After nearly a minute, the husky voice of Jesse joins in and blends perfectly with the ambience the music's been building up. She sings: "I came from the Great Lakes and I watched them turn dry; the sky turned black and I cried". Dark and atmospheric (both in and out of metaphor) indeed.

Well, I'm dwelling on "Lonely Still", but this is the archetype of how Jesse builds her songs: long instrumental intro (usually by guitar and, more restrained, viola; "House by the Lake" is an exception, with a banjo opening) before her voice comes in and takes centre stage. She hypnotizes you with evocative words, slowly repeated over and over till the end of the track. (Take notice: there are always few words in the songs, despite the fact that they often last more than 5 minutes).

I'm reviewing "Oh, My Girl", but it could be "Reckless Burning", since the two albums cover the same turf. Jesse found her niche in a slow, dark and algid brand of alt-country and is exploring it in detail. It can't last forever, so I'm expecting major changes from her next release. But for the time being I'm revelling in the details: a sprinkling of banjo here, a chord progression there, and so on.

I particularly love "Troubled Soul" (the refrain "no way around this" pops up when I have problems at work), "The Dreaming Dead" (the intro reminds me of "Pulp Fiction"; it must be a song in the soundtrack, I think), the title track (brilliant the verse "Is all the world's fuckery" and the accompaniment of viola and mandolin in the chorus) and "House by The Lake" (the sudden change of rhythm that introduces "Baby, it's time to go"). But all the songs are worth an attentive listening (with headphones on, if possible).

A sensual singer, a crew of first-rate musicians and ten wistful songs: if you like the recipe, then give this album (and/or the previous one) a try.

"

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	Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter Oh My Girl Genres: Country, Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock Track Listings (10) - Disc #1 Oh, My Girl You Are Not Gotten Here Troubled Soul The Dreaming Dead Your Eyes Told Tell the Boys Birds Over Water Winter Hunter House by the Lake Grow a New Heart
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