The Irrepressibles - My Friend Jo (?)
4/5
By: Charlie Potter
Stab, stab, stab stab, stab stab...
'My Friend Jo' presents a conundrum in that it's beautifully melodic and also very aggressive, in a way that sounds like Antony and the Johnsons on acid (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), but yet much more up beat, punchy and centred primarily around the guitar.
The incredible gusto and expression that Jamie McDermott plays this song with blows away any cobwebs one's ears might be covered in and cuts loose the placid, repetitive drone of all that rubbish music we have come to except, leaving it free to float away. More please - The Irrepressibles are one of the more intriguing artists I've heard in a while. The guy McDermott certainly has a head on his shoulders, authoring lyrics which have a feel of their own to them but are peppered with colloquialisms like 'my friend Jo's a crazy bitch' which anyone can enjoy on the most basic of levels.
Amidst all the expressive punching and stabbing, the 10 piece orchestra do anything but weigh the song down. The arrangements are subtle ones that largely follow the guitar parts which is no bad thing given that those parts are themselves quite simple. It's a tactic which gives the rest of the band a chance to grow out of that sturdy guitar base, and fill the sound out without it becoming too dense. There are also sections of this song when everything is stripped right back, which shows a good deal of humbleness on 10 peoples part - quite an achievement.
The guy's voice is crazy, though. Once again, it's hard to avoid the Antony and the Johnsons comparison, but it's only because both of their voices are so unusual that they are a few of the only people in the world who don't sound like anyone else when they sing. In no way do I think that The Irrepressibles are trying to cash in on anyone else's success, however. In truth they sound like no one, it's a cliché I know, but there's certainly no comparison to be made that'll do this band justice. Guess you'll just have to hear them.
Artists in this article: The Irrepressibles
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