CD Review : Jebediah – Kosciuszko

CD Reviews — 10 May 2011

Review by DAVID SAYERS

After seven years of long service leave, JEBEDIAH has returned with ‘Kosciuszko’, the eleven track lovechild of sugary pop and alternative rock. Here, the band sounds revitalized, with engaging tunes that are bursting with heartfelt emotion and densely layered instrumentation.

The album begins with a quick countdown from an anonymous space cowboy before ‘Lost My Nerve’ steps in, driven by thick bass lines and Kevin Mitchell’s signature nasal vocals. The sonic duo of warbling guitar lines and crunchy, distorted rhythms soon materialize to cement the albums psychedelic edge.

There are some inarguably catchy tunes to be discovered, most notably ‘She’s Like A Comet’, which is bound to bring plenty of new fans to the fold and ‘To Your Door’, which experiments with a swinging rhythm and sea shanty piano. ‘Freakin’ Out’ is another instant classic, with an incredible melody and catchy keyboard trills.

‘Kosciuszko’ also showcases some serious rock n’ roll attitude with inspired fuzz guitar solos, red hot blues licks and the riotous highlight ‘Under Your Bed’. Rock balladry is attempted with ‘Battlesong’, a lukewarm track whose parts fail to gel together, despite the use of hypnotic marching drums.

‘The Lash’ and ‘High (Horse)’ are quirky, bouncy and sure to inspire some grooving at live shows. The latter also features the albums most memorable lyrics “when I grow up I’ll be indestructible – taking revenge out on all my enemies – when I get young I’ll be bored and over it – wasting the best years of my life.”

As the cover art suggests, ‘Kosciuszko’ is a colourful mountain to climb. There may be a small misstep or two along the way, but those who undertake the journey will be rewarded with a rich tapestry of infectious hooks and fascinating sound-scapes.