Jackinabox

Turin Brakes

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 6, 2005)
• Original Release Date: June 7, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B0009EK69C
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #141,211 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.co.uk

Frayed by the ocean-hopping promotional commitments required to stay apace of their accruing popularity, South London's Mercury Music Prize-nominated urban folk-pop duo Turin Brakes took stock and hunkered down in their Brixton studio bolt hole to record their third album JackInABox. Wagons duly circled, one might have anticipated a portfolio of dry, woebegone claustrophobia. However, what JackInABox actually tenders is the elixir of easy living, the lure of the open road and an emancipating two-fingered gesticulation in the prevailing direction of the sick city rat race. From the breezy, footloose opener "They Can't Buy The Sun" - imagine if The Eagles had listened to Loaded by The Velvet Underground - to the supple funky country acoustics of "Asleep With The Fireflies", JackInABox" is all open fields, the heavens above and sunsets in rear view mirrors. "Oh no, my world is on fire, someone fetch some water cos I think I’m going to burn" sings Olly Knights on the feverish title track, a magnetic aggregate of Pentangle's jazz-folk merry-go-round and The Notorious Byrd Brothers. "Forever" is mind balm for seekers of mellow, come-down reverie but - notwithstanding one or two ponderous pregnant pauses - JackInABox finds Turin Brakes with a reinvigorated spring in their step. --Kevin Maidment

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I am amazed, July 22, 2005

By	alexander laurence (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is a band that has been around a while. Most people know them because of
The Optimist LP. KCRW used to play their records to death. They had songs
that were performed on Top of The Pops. Strange for a band that more in common
with Simon and Garfunkel than any pop music. Based in Brixton, but their heart
remains in Southern California. Their inspirations lie in some records made in
the 1970s. The first song "They Can't Buy The Sunshine" exposes the British
fascination with good weather. There are ballads like "Forever" which are
splendid. Some fans of people like Damien Rice and West Indian Girl might like
what these guys have been doing for quite a while now. It's very moving acoustic
music made for the soul. This is probably the best overall record by Turin
Brakes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jackinabox, September 19, 2005

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Psych-folk is not exactly a new phenomena -- Turin Brakes has been doing it for four years now.

But this enchantingly mellow British duo add a catchier edge to their third album, "Jackinabox," without losing their heavy dose of spacey folk. It lacks the more uniform sound of their past work, but at least the boys are stretching their creative muscles.

The rock-ier vibe of the opening song signals a bit of a change, with a catchy hook and charmingly upbeat vibe. Despite its list of woes, guitarist/singer Ollie Knights sounds optimistic: "The credit card skyline rises high/crushing the sky and multiplies/they're buying up souls to fill their holes/but we know the one thing they don't know/they can't buy the sunshine..."

That rock sound continues, after a stretch of wavering lament -- expect roiling riffs over satiny blips and bleeps. Ollie Knight also gives his vocal abilities a stretch; his past efforts have been wistful and soft, but here he hardens his singing into a rougher, less dreamy sound. And it's actually very successful, although he sounds like a different singer.

But just because Turin Brakes is experimenting with rock doesn't mean that they've abandoned their past sound. Their dreamy psych-folk reenters after a few songs, and makes up a fair amount of the remaining music. They're even more polished than before, mingling the languid acoustic guitar with even more languid songwriting.

But even that gets a stretch with songs like the swirling, hazy title track, where Knights uneasily sings over a psych-folk rhythm. "My world is on fire/someone get some water/cause I think I'm gonna burn." That sense of unease carries through to the delicate finale, which seems uncertain of the world in general. Or is it their musical direction? It's as murky as their music.

It's certainly a credit to Turin Brakes that, like fellow Britpop band Travis, they can do both languid pop and energetic rock. Their rock'n'roll is a shade less engaging their their folkpop, merely because it's far less unusual. But Knights and bandmate Gale Paridjanian carry off their rock desires with energy and verve.

"Jackinabox" is split between rock and psych-folkpop, and so it's never quite even. But Knights and Paridjanian show that they still have what it takes, and they're not going to let it sit and stagnate.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not their best, but still better than most., July 1, 2005

By	A. Quitoni "docQ" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Being one of the apparent few americans lucky enough to be introduced to the band when "optimist lp" arrived 5 or so years ago, I have been an avid listener and anxiously awaited this new release. Having listened to the album three times in the last three days, however, has left me a bit let down. At the very least, it sounds like turin brakes, so it can't be all that bad. At the same time, there are but two or three tracks on this album that aspire to the heights reached on "optimist" and "ether song". Maybe I was wanting to hear them expand on the sonic bombast that was "ether". It doesn't. It sounds like they have devolved (intentionally?) to something more akin to "optimist", but it's not even close to being as intimate or emotional. I do think the acoustic guitar work is masterful, it's the melodies that leave me cold. The harmonies are vintage brakes. This is not to say that I won't listen to or enjoy the album on some level. It just didn't bowl me over like the last two albums did on first listen. Still, Turin Brakes is one of my faves and I hope to see them headline a tour in the states this year.