What beautiful noise....
JJ Barrow | Johannesburg, South Africa | 07/25/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I stumbled on to Jessica Bailiff by sheer virtue of the fact that she's on Kranky - home to post-rock geniuses such as Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Labradford and Low. In fact she's great friends of Low and all three members (but especially Alan Sparhawk) helped out in the production and creation of this album.So what does it sound like? Well not a whole lot like Low at all! Or most other post-rock bands. In fact she falls into the more ethereal/drone side of shoegazer. This is a very noisy album without being very loud at all. Gorgeous vocals. Guitar - lots of feedback, and some acoustic strumming. Strong bass at times, which is probably the most obvious post-rock connection. My Bloody Valentine is an obvious comparison, but JB is generally less rock oriented. "Just for a day" era Slowdive is probably closer. As is Flying Saucer Attack. Some of the songs definitely have a similar lo-fi/drone feel as FSA. At times there are even similarities to early Love Spirals Downwards, but JB does have some rougher edges than the sheer lush beauty of Love Spirals. Good rougher edges by the way. The lo-fi aspect is vital I feel. Much like in FSA.So, I would recommend this very highly to any shoegazer/post-rock fan. Especially to those who appreciate the bands I've mentioned in this review. Oh and go get her first album "Even in silence"."
An Inspired New Artist
LHB | Dallas, TX | 03/31/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I discovered Jessica Bailiff through her appearance on Kranky's "Clear Horizons" disc with Flying Saucer Attack's David Pearce. And I'm very glad I did. She and Pearce both seem to be inspired by the same muse. Beautiful, but vaguely unsettling, drones, recurring controlled feedback that somehow remains part of the overall hushed quality of the music, with the occasional acoustic guitar and Jessica's fragile, delicate voice are intoxicating. Beauty is beautiful, but it's a little scary too, in other words. If you like all things Flying Saucer Attack, you'll love this, although it should be emphasized that Jessica Bailiff is an excellent artist in her own right. Her other two albums are great too, although her first is more in this style than her rather more sparse, self-titled third album. I have all three and wouldn't want to be without any of them."