After the tragic death of long-term bass player Will J Hicks in March 2019 and a few line up changes The Jacques have settled on the stable line up of Finn O’Brien (voice, guitar), Elliot O’Brien (drums), Harry Thomas (keyboards) and James Lay (bass). Heralding from Bristol and London – guitarist, and singer/songwriter, Finn O’Brien and drummer/brother Elliot O’Brien were both born in London and brought up and schooled in Bristol, before subsequently relocating back to London. Their debut album “The Four Five Three” weaves between gritty, distorted, punk influences, chaotic instrumentation, and lush dream-pop.
The album opens with `Born Sore` a quite dark piece of music about birth, fertility, and original sin. A beating drum, some distorted synths and a throbbing bassline set us off on the path before Finn`s understated vocals give this a pretty menacing air. The songs builds as it progresses before almost ending abruptly. I have to say `Kiss the Pharaoh` was an interesting offering which seemed to enjoy a slight Egyptian twang at times. Again it`s intense and brooding with deeper vocals almost obscured throughout.
`Swift Martin` has a real electronic beat with crashing guitar chords and a drumline keeping pace. It`s another song encouraging religious interpretation as Finn`s vocals seemed cloaked within the cacophony of noise. It reminded me of the late great Gang Of Four at times. I have to say I thought `Do Me For A Fool` was a Libertines number when I first heard it. An upbeat tune seemingly in praise of love and vastly different from what`s gone before musically.
`The Ugliest Look` mocks the pretentious social circles surrounding Finn’s time at Goldsmiths College. The intricate lyrics are shared rapidly atop a wonderfully lively poppy musical backdrop. `Count On Me Pt 1` and ` Count On Me Pt 2` are apart on record but are almost mirror images of each other, both fuzzy grungy laid back compositions with distorted vocals and indecipherable lyrics but the difference seemingly being the former runs at nearly two minutes which is twice as long as the latter.
`Tiny Fuzzy Parasite` and ` Cradle My Heart` are sandwiched in between the `Count On Me` parts and `Tiny` was supposed to be written as a parody and quite creepy but to me it has a syrupy sweet charm about it. I thought `Cradle My Heart` had a similar allure about it. The subject matter relates to us each having our own versions of God. While not preachy it has an underlying appeal and a heavier musical vibe.
Mamacita is a word used to refer to or describe a beautiful woman or girl and `Holy Mamacita` is a love song with a twist, about letting someone down. It`s a gently conveyed track with some delicately shared vocals. `Hendrik` is the oldest track on the album and was renamed to celebrate one of Finn’s closest friends who had always loved the song before he died. It`s a quite fast paced, intricately played, wordy but extremely enjoyable submission.
`Taste The Mexican Sun` takes its title from a seemingly meaningless caption Finn and Will noticed on a plastic cup whilst hanging out at a music festival. It`s another curve ball with a slight Mexican feel due to what seems to be a trumpet played throughout the number. Finn`s vocals almost blend into the mix which gives it a really charming mesmerising feel.
The album closes with `God`s Lick` that evoked bittersweet memories of endless jamming sessions when Will was in the band. It’s a quietly shared piece that seemed to amble along with little direction. An interesting choice to close out the album.
The band have been described as gritty, distorted, lush, dreamy, discordant, infectious, inventive, evocative, romantic, and ludicrous. A fair appraisal and most of these descriptions are covered within “The Four Five Three” There was much to enjoy with this album, but I felt at times that the band were trying to be all things to all men. It`ll be interesting to see how they progress.
Rating 8/10
