Jakob’s instrumental soundscapes echo the landscape of their home turf, swelling like the waves of the coast, rising up the peaks, falling suddenly from the cliffs, and opening, expansive, as the arid plains of Hawke’s Bay.
Though they’ve had international accolades within the post-rock niche, and been an influential and celebrated band within New Zealand, they’ve stayed living in Hawke’s Bay. They all have day jobs. Two are tradesmen, the other works in a music shop. They’re family men. It’s a slow burner, this Jakob band.
The first album in eight years is Sines. It's a patchwork quilt of an album, originally tracked at Roundhead in 2010.
Rhian Sheehan's string section arrangements were added at Wellington's STL Audio later, and a bunch of overdubs were recorded with Nick Blow from Napier studio Sister Lung Productions in 2011. Mixing duties fell on guitarist Jeff Boyle, since the band's bank account was now dry. Old collaborator Dave Holmes pitched in a couple of days work on the mix, and Chris Chetland did the final mastering.
It's a surprisingly coherent listen, full of brutal bass riffs, sweeping melancholic strings, and evocative peaks and troughs. Sines is a fitting title - it reflects the undulating sound of Jakob, as well as the rollercoaster ride the band have had getting it out.
Kirsten Johnstone finds out about the "trifecta of hand injuries" and other setbacks that plagued Jakob for the last six years.
To set the scene: it's 2006, their album Solace has just come out, and they’re on-the-up internationally, making waves in the post-rock scene. For the next two years they work hard, touring Australia with Cog, and a Europe with fellow post-rockers Isis. They’re offered a booking agent, and an album deal with well respected label Conspiracy Records.
Jeff Boyle takes up the story...
Related Links
Jakob's profile on audiocuture.co.nz
(Portions of that article were reproduced here, with kind permission from Audioculture)
Playlist
Artist: Jakob
Songs: Harmonia, Blind Them With Science, Magna Carta, Emergent, Resolve
Composer: Boyle/Beckett/Johnson
Album: Sines
Label: The Mylene Sheath
