Zona Noventas – JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD: Zone (Infinite Cat Recordings, 2016)

El regreso a los noventa de Jeff The Brotherhood se llama Zone. Todo un viaje iniciático cargado de distorsiones, feedbacks y una cierta dosis de riesgo y progresión en los doce cortes del álbum.

“Positioned as the final installment of a “spiritual trilogy” that also encompasses 2009’s Heavy Daysand 2011’s We Are the Champions, Zone arrived some time later chronologically. Five years, to be precise, a half-decade marked by a failed sojourn at a major label and the palette-cleansing Global Chakra Rhythms, so Zone could also be seen as the record where JEFF the Brotherhood get back to their heavy indie roots. That’s somewhat true. It’s raw and cacophonic, the work of a band reveling in all the nasty noise they can conjure. These flights of feedback can mean that a good portion of Zone floats by on pure texture. JEFF the Brotherhood still haul hooks — “Juice” has guitars and vocals intertwining in an approximation of power pop, “Idiot” powers through on a heavy-booted glam stomp — and at times, the fog of amplification lifts, as on the hushed “Ox,” so this isn’t a monochromatic record, although the volume and velocity sometimes suggest otherwise. Blame that on how JEFF the Brotherhood now favor the Smashing Pumpkins over Weezer in their ’90s nostalgia. It’s a better vehicle for spiritual aspirations — it’s heavy and open-ended, just like any mystical journey” (All Music)

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Jeff The Brotherhood: Global Chakra Rhythms (Infinity Cat Recordings, 2015)

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Durante 2015 Jeff The Brotherhood escenificaron su ruptura con Warner con la edición de este Global Chakra Rhythms, un disco maduro en el que el dúo se aleja de su concepción musical habitual, se hace acompañar de una banda más extensa en el estudio y en los directos. Para ello, facturaron un álbum que es una especie de larga Jam Session donde la experimentación se da la mano con el Kraut y con el Indie de guitarras. 
Un trabajo difícil, que muestra una actitud inquieta de los hermanos Orrall, un deseo de evolucionar y de buscar nuevos horizontes sonoros. 

“Arriving a mere six months after the delayed release of their Warner-funded but independently issued eighth album, Wasted on the Dream, Nashville’s JEFF the Brotherhood make a true break from their short-lived, major-label days with the loose, jammy Global Chakra Rhythms. While the new age title might suggest some sort of quasi-mystical, Putumayo-induced yoga coma, it feels more like an excuse to stretch out with their recently expanded lineup for some languorous, in-studio psych-jamming. After the heightened production values on Wasted on the Dream, the hypnotic, free-form noodling and druggy drones of Global Chakra Rhythms — not to mention its extended playing time — sound blatantly uncommercial, providing a decisive send-off to Warner Bros., with whom JEFF did not part amicably. The hooky power pop and frequent comparisons to Weezer that have dogged brothersJake and Jamin Orrall for years are either missing or cloaked in slinky, spaced-out textures like on the dreamy highlight “Radiating Fiber Plane.” The title cut itself is a chugging seven-minute opus of dithering guitars, organ drones, electric sitar, and wild saxophone, a combo repeated throughout many of the other lengthy tracks. Fans of JEFF‘s earlier, more lo-fi output will enjoy the freer tone and attitude of this album, which cashes in on the band’s stoner and Krautrock tendencies more than anything else they’ve ever released. The addition of touring bandmates Chet Jameson (bass) and Kunal Prakash (guitar) along with a slew of studio guests like the Dead Weather‘s Jack Lawrence andHeavy Cream‘s Jessica McFarland help to create a kinetic, collaborative atmosphere and revive the Orrall brothers’ creative whimsies. JEFF the Brotherhood cover a lot of sonic ground on this one and while its meandering, experimental nature might not lead to an instant connection, Global Chakra Rhythms is a mind-expander worth spending some time with” (All Music)

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Jeff The Brotherhood: Wasted on the dream (Infinity Cat, 2015)

El último trabajo de los hermanos Orrall (el que iba a ser su segundo en Warner), nos presenta una ligera evolución de lo que fueron sus discos anteriores, con una cierta tendencia a composiciones algo más cercanas al Pop de influencias Grunge o guitarreras (Karaoke, Tn; Coat check girl, In my dreams -colaboración con B.Consentino incluida-, In my mouth, Prairie song). Es decir, algo más cercano a lo que podrían hacer Weezer o sus parientes lejanos The Cars: mucho hook y estribillos fácilmente reconocibles.
Pero la verdadera esencia de JTB está en el Punk-Rock y en el revivalismo más o menos reconocible del Acid-Rock de los sesenta, ahora que tan de moda está esta tendencia vía Ty Segall principalmente. Ahí es donde nos encontramos la esencia guitarrera de Wasted on the dream: Voyage into dreams, Black cherry pie, Cosmic vision, Mystified minds, Melting place…
Una cierta dualidad que nos presenta dos facetas de un mismo grupo. Reconocibles y complementarias. La música de Jeff The Brotherhood, aun sin descubrir recetas novedosas tienen mucho de emoción y de tripa para poder seguir emocionando. Eso sí, las guitarras de Jake Orrall ya montan seis cuerdas y la banda se amplía a cuarteto para sus presentaciones en vivo.

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“Warner bankrolled Wasted on the Dream but dropped JEFF the Brotherhood just weeks prior to its March release, a situation that didn’t exactly make the band distraught (“We, JEFF the Brotherhood, are SO F****** PLEASED to announce that we have been DROPPED from the clutches of the demented vulture that is Warner Bros.,” they announced in a not entirely diplomatic press release). Such parting of the ways may suit both parties and it suggests what an odd little record Wasted on the Dreamactually is. Boasting a bigger, beefier production than usual JEFF LPs — a sign of the extra money at a major — Wasted on the Dream is hardly a crossover record. Certainly, there’s no disguising theWeezer remnants scattered throughout Wasted — the kind of alt-pop smarts that could conceivably mark a commercial commodity; “Prairie Song” follows all the contours of Rivers Cuomo‘s songwriting book — but they’re often obscured by sheets of heavy, heavy churning guitars that push the duo toward stoner rock. JEFF remain slightly too clean and poppy to be full-blown freakazoids, but these thick sheets of guitar do provide a bit of a heady thrill. If that thrill quickly dissipates after an equally sudden escalation — the pinnacle of weirdness is Ian Anderson coming in to trill some flute on “Black Cherry Pie” — it’s enough to dig JEFF the Brotherhood deeper in a cult ditch instead of getting them out of it. There’s also no denying that this emphasis on fuzz may not sit well with fans who favor JEFF when they’re all about the hooks, but those listeners should stick around until the end of the album, when the foggy hangover lifts and the duo gets back to basics. “Karaoke, TN” and “Coat Check Girl” are good neo-power pop, but what gives Wasted on the Dream its kick are those earlier moments, when the band wants to be a different band than it is” (All Music)

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Jeff the Brotherhood: Hypnotic nights (2012)

Distorsión Básica

La cosa ha cambiado para los hermanos Orrall. Bueno, quizás me expreso mal. Les ha cambiado en el sentido de que han crecido como banda (van por su séptimo disco) y les ha editado una de las grandes. Han cambiado porque han introducido en su música instrumentos y elementos antaño inimaginados (saxos, pianos, sitar eléctrico, algo de electrónica…) en el dúo de la guitarra de tres cuerdas y el set básico de batería.
Pero lo cierto es que, en el fondo, los chicos no han cambiado. Su espíritu continúa tan inalterado como al principio. Su actitud de post-adolescentes medio gamberros medio melancólicos les continúa dando grandes resultados musicales. Sus presupuestos siguen siendo los mismos: Pop-Punk, algo de Garaje, Grunge, melodías impecables y trallazos de guitarra que te desarman a la que te despistas.
Si encima a todo ello le añadimos el hecho de que han trabajado con Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), me temo que el resultado no puede dejar indiferente a casi nadie. Los hermanos trabajan a destajo la energía poderosa de temas como Hypnotic mind o Staring at the wall, Wood ox; o la Psicodelia plúmbea de Leave me out o Dark energy. Aunque, como ya dije antes, con lo que mejor se continúan defendiendo es con ese Pop rayano tanto en el Grunge como en la música de los Weezer primigenios (Sixpack, Country life, Mystic portal II, Hypnotic winter…) Ahí es donde a la energía desbordante de los hermanos Orral se le da rienda suelta. Quizás han atemperado algo su ruido original, pero el nivel de distorsión y overdrive continúa haciendo daño a los oídos. ¡Bendito daño! El trabajo de producción del disco es impecable, y su sonido es casi perfecto. Un disco de ocho sobre diez y un divertimento perfecto para cualquier amante del Pop más enérgico y saturado. Si no le doy más puntuación es por su portada horripilante. Deberían hacérselo mirar.

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“The last thing a long-time JEFF the Brotherhoodfan would expect to hear on a Bogus Bros album is a saxophone solo. Its appearance during 2011 – the year of the saxophone – in the Fleet Foxes, Destroyer, and Bon Iver albums made sense; but JEFF in 2012? The band whose three-string guitar, beat-up drum kit, and wall of amps incite brutal mosh pits worldwide a couple hundred times a year? Group the sax in with production work by Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach, and you’ve got the skeleton for Jake and Jamin Orrall’s seventh full-length Hypnotic Nights.
“Region of Fire” devolves into a swirling mass of psychedelic guitar and saxophone, Infinity Cat is no longer the sole label in their lives and Auerbach’s fingerprints are all over the record. Despite the cries of the purists longing for the heavy riffs of 2009′s Heavy Days or even further back in the catalog, Hypnotic Nights demonstrates immense growth and pop sensibilities, with a precarious yet effective balance struck between the two.
In the realm of rock, “Pop” has historically been a pejorative adjective leveled at bands accused of losing their integrity for the sake of mainstream appeal. That isn’t the case onHypnotic Nights. Instead, the catchy melodies, handclaps, and an irresistible chorus of “oohs” on opening tracks “Country Life” and “Sixpack” fully realize the cheeky references that littered old releases, such as the air horn that kicked off last year’s We Are the Champions. They’re stereotypical odes to hedonistic youth, full of yearning to drink beer by a river, “smoke meats”, and shirk responsibilities with friends. The Orralls sing what they know, so their romanticized tales of smoking pot and canoeing avoid stoner cliche merely by being autobiographical. Musically, Auerbach’s presence here is undeniable, and thankfully unobtrusive. Jake’s vocal performance has improved markedly, toying with varying choral timbres and even falsetto. A whole album in the same vein could have finally justified the early Weezer comparisons that have followed JEFF throughout their career, but they aren’t that predictable.
Hints of pop sheen continue to reappear throughout, such as the “oohs” on “Hypnotic Winter” or the cascading “ahhs” on “Wood Ox”, but the true strength of Hypnotic Nightsisn’t the radio-ready summer jams, even if the record has been promoted that way. Starting with “Mystic Portal II” and its wandering psychedelia, the darkness hinted at onChampions‘ “Health and Strength” encompasses all. Lyrics consumed with feelings of emptiness and indecision amidst warbled walls of noise characterize the second half of the album, and it lives up to the Hypnotic name.
The noise, though, isn’t the distortion and heavy guitar usually associated with JEFF. Heady blends of sitar, saxophone, keys, and the constant drums transport the listener to a variety of different sonic paradigms, testing the waters from grunge (“Leave Me Out”) to seventies psychedelic jams (“Region of Fire”). Album standout “Staring at the Wall” is particularly indicative of these changes: starting with classic Brotherhood shredding guitar, but melting into a hopeless repetition of “Nothing’s happenin’ when I’m staring at the wall” and an abrupt tempo change. The sounds vary, but the quality remains constant: the brothers navigate genres flawlessly, with the end result being just the distinctive sound of JEFF.
By the time the synth-heavy cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” rolls around to close things out– a solid cover, at that, with Jake’s vocals eerily channeling Ozzy– its blatant titular message is hardly needed. Through the multi-tracking, introduction of new instruments and tendency to get absorbed in trance-inducing psychedelic grooves, it’s clear that JEFF The Brotherhood has changed, and were not out to recreate the riffs and hooks of their albums past with Hypnotic Nights. What’s impressive is even though the duo ventures into new sonic territory, the knack for catchy melodies and heavy riffs remains, making this new direction both true to their roots and indicative of huge maturation. The live shows will still destroy shoes and faces alike, and the audience has a deeper record to listen to and devour on vinyl. Though it was the title of their last record, it seems more appropriate to definitively say here that JEFF The Brotherhood are, indeed, the champions” (consequenceofsound.net)

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Jeff the Brotherhood: Health and strenght (Heavy version) (2011)

Gracias a Stereogum nos hemos enterado de que uno de los temas más interesantes de We are the Champions, el último álbum de Jeff the Brotherhood, en tanto que contiene elementos que normalmente el dúo no suele emplear, tales como un sitar o un arrope psicodélico. Pues ésta es la versión digamos que primigenia del tema, evidentemente mucho más ruda y directa y que poco tiene que ver con la del álbum. Puedes decirme cuál te gusta más.

Jeff the Brotherhood – Health and strenght (Heavy version) (2011)

“JEFF The Brotherhood got sweaty with Fucked Up and Iceage at 285 Kent a couple of weeks ago. In that punk spirit, here’s a revved version of “Health & Strength,” a track that appears in lighter sitar-threaded psych form on the Nashville siblings’ We Are The Champions. This one’s from a limited-edition (500 pressed, now sold out) tour 7″. As JEFF’s Jake Orrall explains, it’s the track’s original form:

The heavy version of “Health and Strength” is actually the original version. It was recorded at the same session as “Mellow Out” and “Diamond Way” but we never ended up using it for anything. When we did the session for We Are the Champions, we were messing around with different versions of some songs with totally different instrumentation, so we had our friend Ryan come in and do sitar on it. I played the violin and Jamin put some towels over his drums. We laid on a bunch of reverb and got real spiritual with it, and we liked it so much we put it on the album. So here’s the original heavy version, I think it’s pretty good.

Listen. It’s sorta like if the Ramones grew up in Tennessee” (stereogum.com)

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Oír-Hear: Jeff the Brotherhood – Health and strenght (Heavy version) (2011)

Jeff the Brotherhood: We are the champions (2011)

Aunque con la discografía de Jeff the Brotherhood nos estamos comenzando a hacer un poco de lío, lo cierto es que la pareja formada por los hermanos Jake y Jamin Orrall se han marcado un pedazo de disco para este 2011 de los que quitan el hipo. Una mezcla heterogénea entre Grunge, Punk, Tantras, Riffs bestiales, Indie y algunas de las melodías más pegadizas de los últimos tiempos. Todo ello grabado con escasez de instrumentos y arreglos, a la manera Orrall, es decir con kit de batería básico y guitarra con tres cuerdas. Evidentemente, en el disco, la pareja ha superado ésto para grabar su disco y ha añadido bastantes instrumentaciones a su sonido básico (teclados: Shredder, Endless fire; e incluso un sitar electrónico: Health and strenght, Wastoid girl). Eso sí, sus presupuestos ideológico-sonoros no han variado un ápice, aunque con temas como Health and strenght, Wastoid girl, en la que asoman una vena popera-psicodélica; o en Bummer o Diamond way, en las que la mayor huella es la de Weezer; los hermanos parece que también saben beber de otras fuentes además de las acostumbradas. En cualquier caso, JTB demuestran que son un grupo curtido en los escenarios y ello lo trasladan magistralmente al vinilo, demostrando toda su energía en una colección de canciones que, si bien en sobreexposición excesiva quizás lleguen al hartazgo, tomadas en sus debidas dosis, resultan un bombazo energético sobrevitaminado. Y de vez en cuando el cuerpo nos pide una sobrecarga de tal calibre.

Jeff the Brotherhood – We are the Champions (2011)

“For JEFF, We Are the Champions is far from a statement of irony. It’s one of purpose — that they are the torch-carrying international champions of Nashville punk. Whether devotee or detractor of brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall’s reckless, basement-bred take on stoner-punk, followers of Nashville rock have decided where they stand on the band. But for many more the world over, Champions will be an introduction — the first JEFF LP to enjoy the orbit of major-label distribution.
Luckily for these bone-jammin’ bros, it’s a pretty fucking great introduction. And one that roars to a start sounding like garage rock’s answer to, of all things, Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” — “Hey Friend,” to the cue of an airhorn, staggers suddenly to the speakers mid-mid-tempo groove with an oscillating, fuzzed-out swell of synth-bass. A wailing wall of guitarmonies follows before, like a curve ball, the beat drops out, a lone, clean-tone guitar drops in, and Jake Orrall intones in his blasé, staccato tenor, “I’ve been thinkin’ about your mom.”
For a raw rock combo that in their early days seemed singularly committed simply to sweet riffs and rousing energy, on Champions JEFF prove themselves through a confident embrace of dynamics — stretching the boundaries of their economical ensemble past the brink, with thrilling results.
Sure, the primal, in-your-face energy is still there and potent as ever — the breakneck, jackhammer hi-hat and pummeling power chords of “Cool Out” will transport you to a Trans Am speeding at 90 mph down the darkest of highways while you pass a spliff to your shotgun-rider and rigor mortis begins to overtake the body in your trunk. “Shredder” relentlessly shells the listener with an assailment of head-bangin’, top-shelf Sabbath and Motörhead riffs that more than befits its name. And that’s almost nothing compared to the will-make-you-start-punching-people-uncontrollably-if-you’re-not-careful stoner-rock tour-de-force “Ripper” that follows a few tracks later.
Still, it’s the cuts where the Orralls stretch out and indulge their more nuanced curiosities that really make Champions radiate. Whether it’s the whistle-worthy “ooh-eh, ooh-ahs” and “whoa-ooh-whoa-ooh-whoas” of patient pop gems like “Bummer” and “Diamond Way” (the latter perhaps their best, most tuneful and tender song to date), the yearning closing anthem “Wastoid Girl” or a spacey, soulful, mid-album ballad like “Endless Fire” — a song whose resolute, organ-and-Mellotron-slathered motif and loose-pocketed groove make it sound like The Brotherhood meets “Whiter Shade of Pale.”
The impressive thing about JEFF’s moments of artistic maturation and decidedly dynamic forays from punk into straight classic rock is that they never feel forced — as these kinds of creative stabs often do when other, lesser bands intent on growth try to test deeper waters.
Just as the brothers Orrall have spanned the globe building their fervent local following into an international, Music City-born virus — by translating their ’70s-possessed sonic mosaic of influences into their own fraternal secret language — they have arrived at a sound that matches the captivating, harum-scarum presence they’ve had from day one … and a record that’s sure to complement high-speed road trips down haunted highways the world over for years to come” (nashvilleescene.com)

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Best Coast / Jeff The Brotherhood: Sunny adventure / Bummer (Split Single, 2011)

 

Está claro que no podemos dejar de hacer referencias a unas de nuestras bandas favoritas del momento. Los californianos Best Coast han editado un single conjunto con Jeff The Brotherhood, el dúo de Nashville más cañero de los últimos tiempos. ¿Jeff The Bestyhood, Jeff Coast? Los primeros editaron uno de los mejores discos del año pasado, y los segundos acaban de editar disco (que reseñaremos en TJB): We are the champions. Pues el resultado es éste: Sunny adventure / Bummer. Los Coast siguen empeñados en hacer del Retro-Pop adornado al estilo californiano su bandera. Con Bummer, los hermanos Jeff se apartan algo de su estilo más descarnado, facturando un Pop más noventero, con sintes y guitarras al estilo Weezer. Además han incluido el tema en su último álbum.

Best Coast / Jeff The Brotherhood – Sunny adventure/ Bummer (Split Single, 2011)

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Jeff The Brotherhood: Live at Third Man (2011)

 

Los hermanos Jamin y Jack Orrall no son nada nuevos en este negociado. Llevan cerca de diez años grabando y editando discos desde su Nashville natal, y tienen un montón de referencias a sus espaldas. Evidentemente, en este tiempo no iban a desaprovechar la oportunidad de publicar un disco en vivo, y cuando Jack White se puso en contacto con ellos, este Live at Third Man es el resultado. Un disco grabado en vivo ante una reducida audiencia enlos estudios propiedad del inquieto White. En el set dan rienda suelta a todo su ingenio compositor, su energía a la hora de interpretar y a todos los watios que el hecho de ser un dúo les permitan. Pero no penséis que por ser sólo dos tipos sobre el escenario los hermanos Orrall se cortan un pelo. Ni mucho menos. La energía rockista y post-punk rebosa por todos los poros del disco, y los casi cuarenta y cinco minutos que dura el álbum se pasan en un suspiro. En él repasan temas aparecidos ya en anteriores entregas y el listón no baja casi ni un momento. Lo primero que piensas es cómo pueden armar tanta bronca dos tipos solos sobre el escenario. Pues la montan. Y a base de bien.

Jeff The Brotherhood – Live at third man (2011)

“It just seems right that one of the finest live duos out there would end up performing for a small, raucous crowd at the headquarters of the record label for Jack White, a pioneer of loud, rocking duos all on his own.  Last year, Nashville’s Jeff the Brotherhood stopped at the White Striper’s Third Man compound and churned out an energetic set for those in attendance.  11 songs in 45 minutes, and it’s a nonstop fist-pumping affair.  You can order the madness on wax here“ (culturegreyhound.com)

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Jeff The Brotherhood: Diamond way (Single, 2010)

Está más que claro que el Lo-Fi está de moda. Y está claro que la mezcla entre el Punk y el Lo-Fi también. Woven Bones, Wavves, Ty Segall, Harlem… así lo demuestran. Jeff The Brotherhood son otro ejemplo. Pura energía Proto-Punk realizada con tres de las cuerdas de la guitarra y un drumkit básico. La fórmula no deja de dar ejemplos para dar y tomar, pero es que cada uno tiene su salsa y su esencia, para qué negarlo. Mientras nuestros reproductores se saturen de sonidos frescos como los de Jeff The Brotherhood, estaremos tranquilos: el Pop no habrá muerto. Pincha el enlace para conseguir el single.

Jeff The Brotherhood – Diamond way (Single, 2010)

“JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD is Jake and Jamin Orrall, two brothers that play drums and guitar. They grew up in Tennessee making music and trying to have a good time. Since their inception they have been playing anywhere from house parties to rooftops, backyards, bars and art galleries and releasing their own records, tapes, comic books and home made videos.
“THE BROTHERHOOD has been called “kraut punk”, “psychedelic grunge” and “noise pop” drawing comparisons to bands like Hawkwind, Wipers, and early Sonic Youth.
They have been carrying their heavy damage all over the country since 2006 and have shared bills with Oneida, Battles, Sonic Youth, Ex-Models, Jay Reatard, Black Pus and Dave Cloud. Their “we’ll play anywhere” attitude and frenetic live shows have earned them near legendary status in the clubs and basements of Nashville and beyond. With three guitar strings and a minimal drum kit, they manage to distill rock to its primal essence.
JEFF released Heavy Days in October of 2009 on family-owned Infinity Cat Records and quickly won praises from the likes of Brooklyn Vegan, Spin, RCRD LBL, the Tripwire, My Old Kentucky Blog, KEXP, Paste, Village Voice, Nylon, Nashville Scene (who recently awarded Infinity Cat “Best Nashville Record Label”), among others. JEFF supported the release with tours alongside Screaming Females, Ted Leo, Ty Segall, Lightning Bolt and more, while their frenetic performances at CMJ ’09, SXSW ’10, Chaos in Tejas, MFNW, and Bumbershoot were heralded by fans and critics alike” (rcrdlbl.com)

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