On a spastic yet weirdly accessible debut, Santa Ana-based indie quartet
Media Jeweler make good on their press release's claim to "capture the relentless restlessness of being alive on this increasingly weird and overstimulating planet." Recorded mostly live over a four-day period in Rhode Island by Seth Manchester and Keith Souza (
Battles,
Lightning Bolt), $99 R/T Hawaii is the first release by this pleasantly puzzling, largely instrumental Californian outfit. It's a relatively brief affair, topping out at about 22 minutes over seven songs that range from the minute-long handbell-accented intro "Looking Glass (Reprise)" to the more sprawling art jam epic "Looking Back." Within those seven songs,
Media Jeweler are cerebral, loose, airtight, goofy, and aggressively dissonant, careening from spindly little guitar spikes and circular noodling to thunderous horn-laden cacophonies with little in the way of transition. Probably the best showcase of their strengths is the masterful "No Exit," a radio-sized sampling of irritably joyful staccato bursts that could serve as their hit single in an alternate universe that lauds demanding time signatures and unkempt, crooked melodies. The slow-building "Passport Invalid" introduces vocals into the mix in a sort of full-band chorus, and is followed by the thrilling "Autopilot" with its equally soaring and stumbling trombone melody. Thematic elements are frequently used to set up the next track, giving $99 R/T Hawaii an unlikely cohesion as each of the players takes turns supporting various lines and riffs from solo bass intervals to quirky drum fills. "Untitled," the second of the two vocal tracks, is hardly more than a two-man vocal hocket featuring a rhythmic chant of the next two song titles over occasional percussive stabs, yet it also acts as a bizarre intermission before the firework finale of "Looking Back" and "Looking Glass" that closes out the album.
Media Jeweler are remarkable as much for their whimsy and offbeat sense of humor as they are for delivering brainy instrumental art rock in a welcoming, organic package. ~ Timothy Monger