Jolly The Audio Guide To Happiness (Part 1)
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
Binaural stimulation is back. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, prog rockers Jolly define a binaural tone as a “combination of slightly offset frequencies played simultaneously, thereby altering the brain’s natural frequency. Scientific research suggests that such tones can enrich feelings of relaxation, focus, creativity, and happiness when experienced in headphones.” So if you want your mind altered, read on …
Following its 2009 debut release (with the catchy title of Forty-Six Minutes, Twelve Seconds of Music), New York-based progressive rock quartet Jolly returns to the studio and gives us The Audio Guide to Happiness (Part 1), to be released in March on Inside Out Music. Moody, mellow progressive rock with a touch of ambient elements, coupled with solid engineering, interesting arrangements and great performances seems to be a fitting description of Jolly’s overall sound. Jolly’s music blurs the boundaries between progressive rock, alternative rock and electronica. At times, it is quite laid back and mellow, and at other times, it’s thick and crunchy. Returning to the band are guitarist/vocalist Anadale, keyboard player Joe Reilly, and drummer Louis Abramson. They are joined by new bassist Anthony Rondinone.
The performance, production and engineering are excellent – crisp and clear vocals, nicely balanced instruments, and a fine sense of musical balance fill the album. The band’s talent is obvious – each performer is very good at what he does, and they play off of each other’s strengths without allowing any single person or instrument to dominate the music. Anadale’s silky smooth voice layers nicely over his slick guitar work, allowing the band to set an individual mood for each track. Joe Reilly’s keyboards are an integral part of the music; never harsh or strident. Rondinone and Abramson are a fine bottom end, handling the rhythm sections and tempo changes in fine style. The members of Jolly work well together, and they are able to provide a very consistent and unified sound. They’ve also made their “binaural tones” a little more subtle – on 46:12, they were very noticeable and sometimes distracting, but now, they are more solidly integrated into the music.
The atmospheric keyboard intro “Guidance One” launches into a very bass-driven “Ends Where It Starts, which showcases Jolly’s sound and gives the listener a taste of what is to come. “Joy” is a very flowing, upbeat keyboard, bass and drum track that really allows Anadale’s amazing voice to shine and clearly demonstrates the band’s impressive songwriting chops. “Pretty Darlin’” has an old-school, almost honky-tonk feel to it and features some interesting backing vocals and a great darker but bouncy beat. Aggressive bass and guitar separates “The Pattern” from the prior tracks and segues nicely into the mellow piano driven “Storytime,” which features great harmony vocals.
More keyboard textures and a countdown lead from “Guidance Two” and into the moody and dissonant “Still A Dream.” “Radiae” is an amazingly flowing track that mixes great guitars with atmospheric keys and liquid bass that somehow manages to emphasize the vocals in what is becoming Jolly’s signature style. “Where Everything’s Perfect” features a nice chugging rhythm line and mutli-layered vocals, while ambient keyboards, light guitars and powerful vocal harmonies lend an eerie feeling to “Dorothy’s Lament.” The spoken “Intermission” definitely will leave you wanting “disc 2”…
Whether you give any credence to the “binaural tone” aspect of the album, The Audio Guide To Happiness is, indeed, a sonic experience. It is an interesting listen for any fan of progressive rock and a fine effort overall. The music is innovative, unique and always melodic – prog rock in its purest state. One thing that undoubtedly will make Jolly’s fans happy is the simple fact that this album is “Part 1” – so there is more sonic artistry to come. Definitely recommended!
Genre: Progressive Rock
Band:
Anadale – Guitar, Vocals
Joe Reilly – Keyboards
Anthony Rondinone – Bass
Louis Abramson – Drums
Track Listing:
1. Guidance One
2. Ends Where It Starts
3. Joy
4. Pretty Darlin’
5. The Pattern
6. Storytime
7. Guidance Two
8. Still A Dream
9. Radiae
10. Where Everything’s Perfect
11. Dorothy’s Lament
12. Intermission
Label: Inside Out Music
Website: www.jollyband.com
Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10
Awesome Review!