Search - Jaga Jazzist :: What We Must

Incredible band, stellar album!

T. Cook | Denver, CO | 05/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whoever dismissed this album as new age crap in one of the earlier reviews obviously knows NOTHING about good music. Jaga Jazzist is one of the few bands out there keeping the spirit of jazz fusion alive while still creating music that is unique and progressive. If you've never heard of Jaga before, they are a 10-piece band from Norway consisting of guitars, bass, drums, horns, electronics and practically everything else under the sun. The music is heavily textured with weaving melodies, solid beats(for the most part) and amazing transitions & crescendos. Their three albums showcase different styles that make up their unique sound. "A Livingroom Hush" has a heavy jazz sound, "The Stix" is more glitchy and electronic, and this new one "What We Must" has more of a modern rock edge. All three albums are stellar, but since I am reviewing this one, let me finally get to it.

The first track "All I Know Is Tonight" steadily builds while horn and subtle vocal melodies swirl about until all ends triumphantly. "Hotel Stardust" has a definite progressive rock feel to it, with an eerie electronic wind instrument melody that always catches my ear. "For All You Happy People" is short and beautiful and transitions into the next track "Oslo Skyline," which is another driving rock-meets-orchestral fusion tune that is so unique to this band and this album. "Swedenborgske Rom" has an interesting acapella vocal chorus section where the Jagas debut their amazingly angelic voices. The last two tracks are probably my favorite. "Mikado" has the heaviest jazz-fusion influence of the songs on this album and has a crazy distorted guitar melody that I can't get out of my head. The final track "I have a ghost, now what?" speaks for itself. Evil crescendos followed by a spacey jazz house middle section. Only Jaga could pull this off so well!

If you like their first two albums, definitely buy this. If you haven't heard Jaga and you're a fan of heavily textured jazz and electronic music that takes some digesting, I highly recommend this as well. And if you read this whole rambling review, kudos!"

The symphonic jazz of What We Must. One of years best CD's

Wickerlove | Canada | 07/05/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"'What We Must' basically sounds like what Kevin Shields would dream-up if he was influenced by jazz and prog-rock. A 10 piece ensemble from Norway, Jaga Jazzist's fourth album strays from the jazz-electronica of their first three, creating for a cacophony of celestial sounds, orchestral and ambient, cinematic and lush. 'What We Must' is almost unclassifiable because it draws from so many influences, a symphonic soundtrack where jazz-meets-progressive rock-meets-New Age-meets-psychadelia. An ambitious album that's a melting-pot of musical styles; swirly shoegazers (as strange as it may seem) like The Pale Saints/Slowdive/MBV, the atmospheric New Age sounds of Terry Riley and Mike Oldfield, 70's prog-rockers Soft Machine, the jazz-fusion of Spyro Gyra, and a dash of Flaming Lips neo-psychadelia. Occasionally a recording will come along that's so beautiful, spiritual, and profoundly powerful, 'What We Must' gets my vote as one of the strongest, if not one of the best albums of 2005."

Jaga Jazzist grows its rock fangs....

m:re reel | TN | 07/18/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When I heard that Jaga Jazzist would be releasing the aptly titled "What We Must" earlier this year, I have to admit that I thought it would probably be a disappointment. Honestly, I thought that Jaga's idea factory could not possibly churn out another IDM/ Jazz masterpiece, yet, as I sit here writing this review I have to say that the ten- piece collective from Norway has proven once again that new real estate is still available in the instrumental music community.



Like fellow instrumental outfits such as Tortoise, Godspeed You Black Emperor, and Do Make Say Think, Jaga Jazzist set themselves apart by moving forward from albums past and exploring not only new soundscapes and textures, but thematic elements and internal band dynamics as well. As most instrumental bands stay the course with one defined sound, Jaga uses its multi-horn, guitars, vibraphones, lap steel, bass, drums and electronics, to alter its environment. Coming from previous efforts such as the kinetic, "A Living Room Hush", to the electronic-infused "Stix", Jaga Jazzist is a band reinventing itself as fast as it can put out albums. On "What We Must", Jaga Jazzist strips away some of the over-produced haze that may have disguised the band from showing what they truly are- a great live band. While many styles still pervade the album, "What We Must" shows the band baring their teeth with straight-forward drumming and grand, arena-rock sized themes.



While most of the cut-up drums and digitized doodlings of albums past are gone, the jazz voicings, taught and sturdy drums, and filtered horns still remain intact proving that Jaga Jazzist can reinvent itself without reinventing the instrumental- rock wheel. What will prove to set Jaga Jazzist apart from those many other bands is that they are constantly reshaping, and never becoming stagnant or satisfied with one particular sound. Ironically enough, that constant musical shift is what gives Jaga its distinctive identity. And with "What We Must", the band has proven that ideas can still be born and not just recycled.

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