Album Review: Glass

JCK

Review by jck2 // 12 February 2018

Beautiful rendition of Bowie’s classic Ashes to Ashes exactly note for note to my ear. Can’t believe he played every instrument himself! White Zombie’s Thunder Kiss 65 is very well done.

JCK has a very low baritone which is impossible for many singers all the way to the high screaming – it’s a f**king grunty voice. He has either been practicing his lungs out or smoking his lungs out. Come to think of it, knowing him – both.

Lana Del Rey’s Summertime Sadness is choice too, extremely different from the original. You can hear that low, low voice there again. Sounds like the Korn singer Jonathan Davis mixed with Marilyn Manson.

The original tracks give a slice of well spanned personal history by the sounds. Fairy In A Flower Pot is a good one, a downer but a good downer. Love Leave Me Alone – who hasn’t been there? Babylon is a great track. Stone In My Shoe is my favourite track off this album – it’s different, and I relate. Unveiled lyrics assert his own tunes for the most part, you can see him, who he was, is and where he wants to be – sounds like he’s having fun despite the near suicidal references.

JCK has learned to do himself what most professional musicians don’t have to think about. Mixing, mastering, marketing, promotion, packaging, videos, etc.. because no one else is gonna do it for him. why? – because no one cares – and if they do he can’t pay them.

When you listen to this just remember, this guy has a day job isn’t loaded enough to pay for expensive studio mastering on top of rent. He’s making it all in small room in a house not far from the southern motorway when he gets home from work! Imagine what this man could do with the music industry actually helping him. I’m not the f**king music oracle I know. I bang beams with a rubber mallet for a crust. Still though, chuck it on. Let him in. Check out his rap stuff too because that’s what he usually does… Rap.

Review by Duncan Harwood

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JCK

About the author jck2

JCK formed in music school in 2002 as `JCK and the dirty ho bags`. Back then It was James Castady-Kristament as MC and 3 female back up singer and dancers.That incarnation didn`t last long but one of the singers Lou Ludbrook would go on to be the second member of JCK in its second incarnation as a boy/girl duo. They worked hard writing recording and playing shows around Auckland City which eventually payed off. In 2004 they caught the attention of respected Indie label Pagan/Antenna records and scored a record deal. Soon after, they were successful in receiving funding from New Zealand on Air and recorded their debut single ‘Freak in the club’ with an accompanying music video, Freak in the club was a “Hip Pop” single that took the nation by storm and played on all of New Zealand’s music television shows for a good part of a year.

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