Music Enraptured with High-Art: Jaggery’s Crux Weaves Dark Beauty
“WAR CRY” BY JAGGERY FROM CRUX:
VIDEO REVIEW:
Artistic Assault of the Senses
1. Jaggery works deep in aesthetic attributes, morphing and evolving the human form with transcending classical-gone-alternative-rock styles. “War Cry” is a sensory paradise of nightmare-scape meets primal beauty. Often referred to as dark-avant-pop, Jaggery storms through genre, ignoring mainstream hype to pull instead on one’s inner beast and expose pure, demented, human nature.
2. “’War Cry’ opens Crux with a curdling wail, given almost as a test in the listener’s fortitude. The tone is aggressive yet lavish, a clenched fist despite the song’s anti-violence sentiment.”
3. That clawing, determined assertive drive found in the hearts of Jaggery’s aesthetic alchemists is released through superb instrumentation. Tony Leva wields the electric, upright bass while Rachel Jayson melds the melody with viola and piano. Daniel Schubmel and Dylan Jack dominate structure on percussion, and Mali Sastri’s soul-yearning vocals slice through musical tensions to carry deep meaning – inspired by philosophical undertones and backed with literati references.
4. Collin Robinson said, “[Jaggery] lyrics provide no reprieve either, tussling with subjects of inner conflict, higher purpose, and even incorporating classic literature for vivid storytelling” (Stereogum). Click HERE to read Robinson’s full review of “Garden” from Crux.
5. Dark visuals in the video depict the adaptive abilities of body modifications and morbid affects to the human psyche. Demented and isolated, the dancers (Jennifer Hicks, Rachael Rosner, Mali Sastri) prepare for battle – twisting and jerking, melding and scarring. Yet, the overall appeal is one of beauty – a dark, ultimate aesthetic beauty present on backing vocals and pliantly strumming from the strings of Petaluma Vale on harp.
6. Jayson’s viola carries a deep seeded message, symbolic of the spell cast, and Jennifer Hicks’ expressive choreography displays the bloodlust invoked by music and lyrics.
7. Drunken Piano referenced Jaggery’s bio: “Often intense and challenging, Jaggery has no interest in creating an easy pill for the listener to digest. Songstress Mali Sastri exhibits complete control of her instrument, acting either as a delicate leaf floating in the breeze or as an earth-shaking volcano of unrelenting ferocity. With soaring arpeggios and graceful pizzicatos, each note is considered and delivered with passion and spectacle. With subject matter shifting from inner turmoil and lost sensibility to high art and classic literature, Jaggery strikes out bravely into unexplored sonic territory, boundless and free.”
8. Indeed, Jaggery displays morphism and High-Art in which creates an alternate plane of reality – one strongly tied to ancient natural energies. “War Cry” calls on one’s inner being, the dark region enhanced by intelligent synergy. A seemingly void that humanity approaches with caution.
9. Jaggery shared some behind the scene bits from the making of “War Cry.” They said, “The concept was a collaboration between Singer Mali, movement artist Jennifer Hicks, body/makeup artist Magdalena O’Connor, and tireless creative genius & Hostage Heart director Michael McQuilken. The Shoot involved mud, fire, & lots & lots of brambles.” Click HERE to view the images.
link to article: http://www.punchland.com/feature/feature-jaggerys-video-premiere-war-cry/