NEUROSIS & JARBOE

Neurosis & Jarboe is not really a Neurosis album and it was released under the bandname Neurosis & Jarboe and not Neurosis ( I´ll accept its presense here on PA as a Neurosis album and will treat it like that though. If you count it as a part of Neurosis discography it´s studio album number eight from the band). The album is a collaboration between Neurosis and the female singer Jarboe aka The Living Jarboe from American post-punk band Swans ( Not Billy Corgan´s Zwan). Neurosis & Jarboe stands as somewhat of an oddity in Neurosis discography and it sounds very different from the other albums from the band.

Neurosis & Jarboe will probably appeal to fans of Paatos, Portishead and Massive Attack more than it would appeal to fans of Neurosis. The music has a post rock feeling to it and Neurosis ususal crushingly heavy guitar wall are nowhere to be found. This is not an experimental metal album but more a rock ditto. The music is very good but does have a tendency to become a bit too repetitive to my ears. Jarboe is an interesting and emotional singer and she brings much to this album. She can be both delicate and extremely loud and angry. Try and listen to Erase where she almost growls. She has an extreme vibratto that is worth mentioning as well. Very impressive.

The musicianship is as excellent as always. I have to mention the fantasic and inventive drumming from Jason Roeder. It´s an achivement to make music this slow rythmically interesting.

The production is excellent. It´s dark and tense and really brings out the right emotions in the music.

As an experiment Neurosis & Jarboe is very interesting but I do prefer Neurosis more regular albums to this one. It´s not a must for the fans of Neurosis but if you´re curious like me it´s inevitable that you at some point will come to this album. Go to it with an open mind and don´t expect it to sound like Neurosis and maybe you´ll be positively surprised. A big 3 star rating is deserved.