DOMINION

Now this really is the bees' knees. This one-track EP contains a thirty-minute post-rock treat, a track that gently takes the listener through a variety of soundscapes using oh-so-crisp drumwork, distorted guitar and bass with plenty of reverb and sustain. There's no tune, of course, and while ordinarily that would limit it's appeal to me, I'm captivated by the feel of the piece. It helps me identify what was missing from 'Cale:Drew', their album issued before this EP, which is the breadth of composition needed to truly draw the listener in.

'Dominion' has a much more ambient feel than anything on 'Cale:Drew', with a gentle guitar introduction giving way to a simple but slightly varied drum pattern. The song drifts like a summer shower until the twelve-minute mark, where drawn-out guitar notes are followed by sparse bass, and it all begins again ... at the twenty minute mark it grows heavier and darker for a time, with feedback squealing a thunderstorm of noise. The storm comes and goes for a while, until the track ends with a crunching climax and a long, delicious fade out. Doesn't sound much for thirty minutes of music, but that's the point. You're supposed to fill in the gaps.

Oddly, this album gave me a similar feeling to listening to early BOARDS OF CANADA: crisp rhythms over slightly restrained and muffled notes, the accompaniment to some imaginary documentary. I understand this was edited down from 50 minutes of music. I'm sure it's a better product for the edit, but I could cope with more of this!

JAKOB have constructed a delightful composition, one I will return to when the mood takes me: not often, but with pleasure each time. Four stars for those comfortable with post-rock, and possibly an extra star for those who enjoy ambient music. Best thing I've heard out of my home country for ages. Pure bliss.

I actually really like this piece of post rock. It's basically ambience that slowly leads to a semi- energetic beat and tune, and I don't have an issue with its length. Perhaps I would prefer vocals though. The single song EP really reflects a somber and peaceful mood, despite its sometimes energetic drumming and guitar. But as a single piece EP, it has potential and works incredibly well for the minimalist design it has.

I'm not quite sure why I enjoyed this really. Instrumentals are not my preferred style in music - but for some reason, this one caught my attention, and given that, I must say that I recommend this for post rock fans - on the basis that it establishes and holds a mood as well as the listeners attention throughout. I could actually see this being quite good study music for those who happen to come across this rarity (legally).

4 stars.

JAKOB are a Post- Rock band out of New Zealand and this EP was released in 2004. Love the album cover of that black and white picture of that Pontiac. This is one long track at over 29 minutes and it's mostly ambient but we do get a couple of breakouts in the Post- Rock tradition.

It's so quiet to begin with that I had to turn it up the first time to see if it was playing. It turns louder around a minute as we continue to get those guitar expressions. A beat follows in this relaxed soundscape. It does build a little more and then it begins to wind down until we have almost silence before 6 minutes. That previous sound returns as it trips along slowly. Beautiful music as it stays relaxed and repetitive.

It starts to wind down again until it's very minimalistic 15 minutes in and then it starts to build slowly before 16 minutes as a beat returns and the guitar continues. It turns surprisingly powerful before 20 1/2 minutes with plenty of distortion. It then settles back 2 minutes later as the distortion stops. After 24 minutes the distortion is back and that powerful sound. Sounds echo late as it winds down to end it.

There's a lot of fans of this EP and while there's nothing new here this is some high end Post- Rock folks. An easy 4 stars.