The Last Mixed Tape reviews Tough Love, the brand new studio album from the Jimmy Cake.
An album that follows the old two-sided vinyl format, Tough Love is a musical journey split in half that uses each side to convey different aspects of the Jimmy Cake’s sound within the prism of an over arching sonic theme.
Brooding, to begin with then slowly turning frantic the next, aggressive then settled the music of Tough Love warps and changes as the group build tension dynamically, almost following the loud, quiet, loud pattern but over a much longer time frame.
Add to this the deep sense of atmospheric weight that runs right through the album and you’re left with an epic that plays with large expanses of sparse soundscapes and long passages of frenetic rhythm to great effect.
However, Tough Love is not without its flaws. Falling into many of the trappings that hinder experimental/instrumental records, the album does suffer from long stretches of filler. Notably, the opening textural growl that out stays its welcome by the four-minute mark and just keeps going.
Don’t get me wrong, the sound is engrossing and works to set the scene overall, but after a while, you’d be forgiven for losing interest especially since the same motif recurs throughout. Like many of its ilk, this is really a case of the Jimmy Cake failing to “kill their darlings”.
There can be no denying the ambition of Tough Love. Delivering a sprawling epic that never compromises, the Jimmy Cake commit fully to the themes and moods of what they wanted to create, and that has to be commended, now more than ever.
The Last Mixed Tape reviews Tough Love, the brand new studio album from the Jimmy Cake.
An album that follows the old two-sided vinyl format, Tough Love is a musical journey split in half that uses each side to convey different aspects of the Jimmy Cake’s sound within the prism of an over arching sonic theme.
Brooding, to begin with then slowly turning frantic the next, aggressive then settled the music of Tough Love warps and changes as the group build tension dynamically, almost following the loud, quiet, loud pattern but over a much longer time frame.
Add to this the deep sense of atmospheric weight that runs right through the album and you’re left with an epic that plays with large expanses of sparse soundscapes and long passages of frenetic rhythm to great effect.
However, Tough Love is not without its flaws. Falling into many of the trappings that hinder experimental/instrumental records, the album does suffer from long stretches of filler. Notably, the opening textural growl that out stays its welcome by the four-minute mark and just keeps going.
Don’t get me wrong, the sound is engrossing and works to set the scene overall, but after a while, you’d be forgiven for losing interest especially since the same motif recurs throughout. Like many of its ilk, this is really a case of the Jimmy Cake failing to “kill their darlings”.
There can be no denying the ambition of Tough Love. Delivering a sprawling epic that never compromises, the Jimmy Cake commit fully to the themes and moods of what they wanted to create, and that has to be commended, now more than ever.
Rating: 7/10
Tough Love by the Jimmy Cake is out now.
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