By: Ryan Meaney
Containing only three tracks, one instrumental sandwiched in between two containing the swoony vocals of Jared Eliasson, JATSP EP gives a short yet varied taste of what Jiro & The Strategic Pink has to offer. The first solo project of the Twin Cities multi-instrumentalist, JATSP runs like a heartfelt letter to a loved one who was lost long ago. Opening track “Blood Simple” opens with the simple line “I’m jealous of life,” a feeling not just for the downtrodden and sad. A creeping bassline fills the empty spaces left by Eliasson’s plucky guitar, eventually forming a layered groove by the midway point of the song.
Eliasson’s voice has the same sad, beautiful warble as James Blake; both artists use sound exceptionally well at creating a layered space that eventually forms into something completely different than how it started.
The second track is the instrumental piece “Goodbye.”And just as its name necessitates, the track brings to mind a long midnight drive leaving a place of warmth and comfort.
The bass is once again the star of this track, as Eliasson fits the groove behind a wall of synths that bring to mind the soundtrack to Nicolas Winding Refn’s eerie 2011 film Drive. The guitar breakdown at the 2:30 mark comes as almost a wake up call to the listener, urging them to stay awake as the late-night streetlights whiz by. It’s windows down driving music for the faint of heart, or heartbroken, or heartless, I still haven’t decided yet.
The closing track “You’ll Fake It” takes a stylistic turn from the rest of the EP. While the bass is still the featured player here, Eliasson enters crooner mode vocally, hitting high registers backed by an ominous voice shouting “never, ever!”
The music evokes a Digable Planets style hip-hop groove, but the lyrics tell a much more somber story. The narrator has lost someone he loves very much, saying numerous times that she “doesn’t come around anymore.” His best bet is to simply forget that the relationship ever happened, for risk of being sucked into his own sadness is too tragic to consider.
JATSP EP is a strong EP from a young artist with a voice that yearns to be heard. It will be very interesting to see what spaces of sound Jiro & The Strategic Pink will forge ahead to next.
Soundcloud link: https://soundcloud.com/jarede/sets/jatsp-ep
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