EASILY MISUNDERSTOOD

This album shows several improvements from their debut. The sound is cleaner and polished, and the songwriting is more powerful and effective to the listener. There is a nice touch of jazz here as before, but the sound is expanded and more full. This one has much more of a dynamic component to it which was not well executed on the predecessor. I doubt I'll be listening to Same Same, but Different again, but thanks to Easily Misunderstood, I will not discontinue listening to this band all together. All in all, this is a very good album, well worth checking out.

On Easily Misunderstood, The Samuel Jackson Five present a more jazz-influenced and sonically diverse brand of post-rock than many of their competitors were offering. They also show a good command of a variety of moods; whilst many post-rock bands tend to focus on a fairly limited emotional pallette, the Five show that as well as the typical post-rock dread and foreboding themes they are also capable of delicate beauty (Song for Sarah), whilst Psycho Derelict sounds to me like the theme tune to an indie Western movie. Taken as a whole, it shows a lot more originality than many second-tier post-rock bands are able to muster, and will be of interest to any post-rock fan looking for something a little different.

My only experience with this Norweigian band prior to hearing this 2005 release was their self titled record from 2012. There is something about their sound that just sucks me in with that jazzy Post-Rock flavour. The music is sophisticated, beautiful and all instrumental, and I appreciate the synths, piano and effects that they also use.

"Skinflick Dress Rehearsal" turns quite powerful before 1 1/2 minutes but it does settle back quickly as picked guitar, synths and a light beat return. Those contrasts continue. Such a refreshing sound to this one. "If You Show Off The Milk, Who's Gonna Buy The Cow" kicks some ass after the mellow intro. Again they contrast the laid back passages and more aggressive ones well. Great tune! "Easily Misunderstood" features piano and strings. I like it. "Charlie Foxtrot Queen" is cool with the nimble bass lines and picked guitar as what sounds like vibes joins in. It kicks in with some power around a minute. "Person Most Likely To Enjoy The Taste Of Human Flesh" is next and where do they get these titles from? Hilarious. This is a top three track for me. Just a beautiful soundscape that builds before settling back again. Some crazy dissonant horns come in around 3 minutes as the drums pound. Such an adventerous section. It returns back to that earlier sound after 5 minutes.

"Unimog" has a gorgeous intro then strings before a minute add to that, they will come and go. The tempo picks up before 4 minutes with guitar and drums leading the way. Themes are repeated. "No Name" is another example of beautiful and intricate melodies. Very tasteful and reserved as keys and bass especially impress, although both are subtle. Not a big fan of the heaviness that sort of pulsates 2 1/2 minutes in though. "Song For Sarah" is too gorgeous for words. Some power before 2 minutes then it settles back. Nice. Deep bass lines 3 minutes in then that beautiful sound returns(gulp). A top three and a song befitting of my own Sarah. "Psycho Derelict" is a short piece with some fuzzed out growly sounds. "Michael Collins Autograph" is my other top three. Piano and strings to start then the picked guitar and prominant bass take over. The tempo picks up after 3 minutes. Man this sounds so good with the atmosphere in the background adding depth. Two guitars weave in and around each other then we get some aggression 5 1/2 minutes in before it settles back late. It ends with "Switch Ambulance Trip" with the mournful strings as the keys join in. So beautiful and it reminds me of SIGUR ROS.

A solid 4 stars but not as good as their self titled release although i'm in the minority with those feelings.