When a band names themselves after both Samuel L. Jackson and the Jackson 5, we expect great things. Perhaps the name of The Samuel Jackson Five speaks to a love of both ferociousness and pop sensibilities, which is exactly what Goodbye Melody Mountain has to offer. A breath of fresh air, they have taken the stale tendency of post-rock towards sleep inducement and made it something worth listening to.
The Samuel Jackson Five is an instrumental group interested in holding the listener in constant rapture, using blistering mathematical changes in time signatures, prog-based keyboards and guitar soloing, and harmonious acoustics and string arrangements, while still remaining true to the lulling formula of bands like Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
From the opening distorted bass riff of “Face the Faux,” the listener is thrown into a frenzied attack of musicianship and brilliant layering, immediately building into a lead guitar riff that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Yes ballad.
These guys know their roots, though, and shouldn’t be dismissed as experimentally dazed musicians. “Hey Now, Who Really Cares” contains the slowly crescendoing arpeggiation of typical post-rock, balanced by echoing piano work akin to Sigur Ros and a unique chaos. Even the simplest song, “After the Avalanche,” radiates bold character and freshness through a soundscape of simple acoustics and violin work.
At times a standard representation of post-rock, the quintessential calm before the storm is captured perfectly on Goodbye Melody Mountain. More importantly, though, we get the storm as well.
Voice’s Choices:”Face the Fax”, “Goodbye Melody Mountain”, “After the Avalanche”
