Opiate Sun (EP) by Jesu
LABEL: Caldo Verde

When Jesu released their first album in 2005 after Justin K. Broadrick's dissolution of Godflesh four years prior, it seemed like a bizarrely disparate and intensely satisfying hybrid. Part sludge, part shoegaze, heavily atmospheric and produced in a way that made it sound like your speakers were exploding. Broadrick followed up with the Silver EP and then Conqueror, fully indicating his intentions to take Jesu into even more melodic territory, but it still worked. With Opiate Sun, Jesu seems to be losing a lot of the things that made the project so valuable to begin with: its individuality.

“This example probably highlights the fault of the record, which is that it falls more readily into the shoegaze-indie camp than into that gray area Broadrick has been dwelling in with all of his projects since 1989.”

In its own right, Opiate Sun is a very attractive piece of music and will satisfy many who might be wondering what My Bloody Valentine would have done if they had kept making music past Loveless, or what The Cure might be capable of with a helping of contemporary innovation. This example probably highlights the fault of the record, which is that it falls more readily into the shoegaze-indie camp than into that gray area Broadrick has been dwelling in with all of his projects since 1989. Down-tuned guitars aren't hiding the fact that the song structures are pretty generic and the production is standard fare for atmospheric guitar music.

While being a discographical completist (if I was being kind), I find it hard to recommend this album to new listeners. Jesu's two releases before this, Lifeline and Why Are We Not Perfect? are probably better examples of Jesu's more poppy melodic side while still integrating innovative elements from Broadrick's past and future (dub, electronica, folk...Jarboe...). With such an impressive (if cumbersome) discography, Broadrick's newest installment doesn't make much of a dent.


REVIEWED BY NEIL LEVENS
NEIL'S FAVORITE TRACK: "Morning Light" (it's a 4-track EP!)