Jakobol amazed us with their unique sound and have released another experimental album, Leornian, meaning ‘to learn’, extending the boundaries of folk music.
GENRE BLENDING
Progressive, psychedelic, rock and folk are genres of music musical lovers attach themselves to. Blend them together and you have folk-prog chameleons Jakabol.
Leornian is an old English Verb meaning “to learn” and we are told in this mystical storytelling album that it“takes on the voice of a future group of ethnomusicologists traversing the ethereal landscape of a now flooded Somerset levels and documenting its otherworldly people.”
An eerie beguiling strings ease us gently into this environmentally themed album with Quiet Joys. Descriptive poetical vocals drone with a folky flavour as the buzzing musical tension builds. Percussive mayhem ends abruptly. The energetic tone continues with heavy staccato guitar riffs before an early Caravan-like tune develops with a repetitive back riff and churchy keyboards as the excitement grows. Phew, this is enthralling stuff!
INNOVATIVE
The mood changes with a more folk rock tune, Crystals. It gives us all the musical elements with which we are familiar with a funky element added. This is as innovative to me as Fairport Convention were with A Sailor’s Life. Nectarivore blends complex percussion, swirling jigging violin, demonic vocals with psychedelic wavering effects with a frenzied ending which is exhilarating.
Mount Of Frogs is loud, brash, tense and wonderful. Every second is like discovering a new sound as though combining heavy metal with folk rock. A short cajun banjo solo of Adderbolt leads into a lilting violin piece interspersed with choppy tones ultimately reverting in Nadus to some more Folk Metal with stomping chords as the strings get wilder. The mood changes – in stark contrast the vocals and guitars become dreamy and dramatic as the tensions builds again.
DRAMATIC, AND FULL OF SURPRISE
The theatrical nature continues in Foragers I that blends gently lilting violin and spoken poetical lyrics and another sudden change in Foragers II to heavy chunky chords working with trad English folk violin melody with a frenetic vocal ending. The brief acapella ending Tis Spring adds another surprise. Indeed, this album is full of creative surprises which certainly keep you on your toes.
To sum up, this refreshing outlook, cram packed with innovative moves, is a compelling listen. It grabs influences from a variety of genres but creating something unique and forward thinking, brimming with emotion, enchanting seductive music. One minute hypnotic and fragile the next sombre and violent.
Here’s some live Jakabol:
Jakabol: Bandcamp