Black Jackets

Trampoline EP

Written by: TL on 24/01/2011 23:40:16

Fuckin yay! Three weeks behind schedule, I've managed to clear my pile of self-assigned promos from last year. Really, this doesn't mean anything except that I'm free to get started on the ones from this year, but still, it feels like progress, and to start things off, here's a look at "Trampoline", the debut EP of the female-fronted five-piece Black Jackets, who hail from Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Now, admittedly, what I would expect from a Ukranian band with a female singer, is that they would be a) some sort of cliché goth/folk metal and b) bad as fuckin' hell, but fortunately for both me and Black Jackets, none of those preconceptions hold up. Instead, it turns out that BJ - whose name stroke me slightly poorly chosen even before I abbreviated it - are an all together decent and promising alternative rock band, who rely on straightforward rockers, fused with soaring melodies and bright, talented singing to charm the listener.

The songs seem to have good drive, and fair choruses, and while I'm not sure if 'Jackets are glad to hear this or not, I mean it very positively when I say that they manage to sound quite 'western'. The exception is in the almost operatic singing that finds its way to the bridge section of "Not Enough" - This could have been pulled off better I think, but it doesn't matter so much, because the song is otherwise the most rockin' one on the record, although the others aren't far behind.

The best thing about the record though, is that it has a fresh dynamic between riffs that sound like they come from the brightest end of the pop-punk/post-hardcore scenes, and grooves pulled from traditionally attitude-ful rock'n'roll, and mixing the two together saves the record from falling in with two many of either style's many clichés. Okay, so Black Jackets may not be as far ahead as for instance the recently reviewed We Are The In Crowd when it comes to writing super catchy songs, but it feels like they are stumblingly close, and they hold another valuable tie-breaker in sounding less heard before.

Overall, "Trampoline" lands this band in the section of grades I often reserve for promising young acts, as the only thing I really really want to complain about, is the inclusion of a cover of Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling". Let's get this straight, BEP is utter God damn garbage, and no credible band has any business enjoying their songs, let alone covering them. Provided that's all clear, I'll let Black Jackets off with a warning rather than a grade-cut - Just don't do stuff like that again, and I promise I'll keep my eye out for you.

7

Download: Not Enough, Pretence, Dreamer
For The Fans Of: the idea of a solid middle ground between Paramore and Stella Blackrose
Listen: blackjackets2.bandcamp.com/album/trampolines

Release Date 17.01.2011
**Self-released**



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