I was skeptical from the beginning.
The Bitter Tears’ album “Jam Tarts in the Jakehouse” just seemed like it screamo’d, “Mock me! Hate me!” as soon as I heard the name.
Something about using tears in a title made me cringe.
So, I listened to this little number on my computer to see what it was all really about. “Slay the Heart of the Earth” opened up the CD and I must say — I was delightfully surprised.
I get it. I’m pretentious, critical — well gosh, let’s just say that I can be a little mean and unforgiving most of the time.
I’m sure I probably sound like a class-act prick constantly passing judgment on other people’s music, so every now and then when something I actually don’t mind — or like, even — springs up in my stack of reviews, I get excited about it.
So let me just say, I am excited about this.
The use of the horns as staple instruments on the CD is by far one of my favorite qualities in the recording, and it lends a strong base for the otherwise soft and mellow-sounding songs.
The voices on the CD blend very well with the music and set a nice background for when they want something else to be prominent.
There is nothing more annoying than a recording where one element is accidentally invisible or distracting, This CD has neither of these problems.
Striking a nice balance between stronger and softer sounds, “Jam Tarts in the Jakehouse” never really crosses the line into either, staying in the middle with a strong enough backbone to keep things steady and interesting.
While parts sometimes begin bordering on a little absurd and a little more poppy than it needed to be, it almost always manages to immediately save itself and slink into something better.
My favorites included “Oiling Up,” “Stumper,” and “Starlight,” to name a few.
“Starlight” was the kind of song that made me feel like I do about 15 minutes after taking a Tylenol PM, a little confused and drifting in and out of sleep with a head cold.
While I may not enjoy the head cold when I have it, I do appreciate the ability to invoke the feeling.
Overall, I found the CD very enjoyable, and in the short time I had to spend with it, I found myself comfortable putting it on while I went about my day.
It felt familiar and listenable, all in a good way.
And while there are always things that nitpickers such as myself would like to tweak, I definitely considered the record a success and I can certainly appreciate the fact that The Bitter Tears turned me from a skeptic to a supporter.