Jarboe, Indemnity (Burning World Record)
Jarboe has for years went out on her own making albums and selling via her own website. This album is a strange one as it is a kind of "best of" album from two albums. But it is also a covers album but of her own work.
I say strange it is not really as many bands and artists re record music all the time. This is more of a performance than a document of a time. Each song has been reworked and you can really feel how personal they may well be.
Her voice is very bleak and haunting here but as always utterly inviting to the ear. Some highlights are reworking of songs from Swans and the Great Annihilator album from 1995. "Celebrity Lifestyle" sounds so different here, the original recording was hardly the most upbeat song but there is a far darker tone hear.
Very few instruments are used as Jarboe uses her voice to maximum effect. Same as "I Am The Sun" is vastly changed but as I say it is more of a performance almost much like a soundtrack interlude for a film. Swans and World of Skin did use a studio to help make the sound of the album here Jarboe is back to basics and with lot little she has makes it work so well.
"Miracle of Love" from White Light From the Mouth of Infinity was a great track and she has really changed it so much so I can barley recognize the track. As with much of this LP I had to check the track listing to make sure I was right in what I was hearing.
Much of the music is a kind of alt folk style, all very much home recorded in a way as the music was put out on CDR via her website. But the album does sound good and for fans of Swans or even noise rock style music will love this. It is easy to throw this away as a covers album but the new Jarboe atmospheric vocal pieces are totally unique to this album and worth the price alone.
Available on LP only via Norman Records
8/10
Twitter: 29xthefun
