The Jealous Sound is the current creative outlet for former Knapsack front man Blair
Shehan. And as such, their self-titled debut EP serves as a perfect follow up for
This Conversation is Ending Starting Right Now, Knapsack's final release.
Shehan's
strength as a songwriter has always been his ability to write catchy vocal melodies
that really enhance his distinctive singing style. The drawback with Knapsack is
that the music was fairly straightforward rock that would often times take a back
seat to the vocals. The Jealous Sound still rock although it is slightly more
subdued and combined with more interesting textures and rhythms. The band also
features Pedro Benito (of Sunday's Best) whose guitar melodies surround and
intertwine nicely with Shehan's vocals. Instead of sticking to the tried and true
two guitar, bass, and drums formula for all five tunes The Jealous Sound has expanded
their instrumentation to include farfisa and piano which really helps give the songs
depth and texture.
What initially drew me to The Jealous Sound was the same thing that drew me to
Knapsack, Blair Shehan's vocals. But where I would often loose interest in Knapsack,
The Jealous Sound has kept my attention.
|
