Album Review // 2021-10-01

Jinjer

Wallflowers

Released: 2021-08-27

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This band seemed to really blow up in the last few years. I first heard them years ago, and didn't take much notice. Once I had some fans feeding me their best, I started to sit down and hear songs from front to back.

Something I find that draws me towards Tatiana is that she seems like a realistic optimist, like me (yes, I made this phrase up). She seems to understand that she is doing this thing called music, and it won't be for everyone. But for the band, it is what they need to do; it is what comes out of them. I also liked when I heard her talking about reaction channels, and how she thinks it is fake. I tend to agree that many people are pretending, just telling people what they want to hear... And Tatiana and I are not about this. (I know - I had a reaction channel, but I was straight up about what I thought).

This band started much differently than it presently is, with a completely different lineup. As Eugene has explained, the name Jinjer was already established when he joined the band, and seemed to just be a name. But fans started to associate it with guitar sounds over time.

The album title, I believe, is a statement in how they see themselves - almost as social outcasts, or awkward. But it is accepting of this introverted part of them. Maybe the music is actually the format for them to come out of their shells.

I think in a band like this, the light shines on Tatiana, the singer. But the rest of the band have made an effort to be a part of press and not make this a front-person-only thing. How can we just focus on the vocals, when there is lots to hear in the music itself? So, this is me focusing on the whole picture. Here are my thoughts.

Album Art

I like black and white artwork. This seems like a picture. Obviously, it is of wallflowers. Until this moment I didn't know what the plant actually looked like. I am picky about what flowers I like the look of. These ones I quite like.

Mood

This reminds me of a person with attention deficit who is trying to go for a walk. I say this will all due respect; I have attention deficit, myself, as does my child, and it is very hard to stay on track. The mood is ever-changing, not fixed. It is loud, gets serious, gets soft, gets groovy, gets laid back. Some people are like that... They cry hard; they laugh hard. They move all over the place. Overall, I think this album is not fixed.

Vocals

The vocals are multifaceted. You can certainly tell that Tatiana was once in a ska band, and that she reveres some vocalists outside the metal scene. Though there is no straight up reggae on this album, like there was on Macro, the influences are there.

That little squeal at the start of Disclosure! was a huge "no" for me. lol. And the "Yeah" portion in this same song was quite a different sound from what I have heard from her. She also did something a little different in Wallflower that I liked. It was quite high, in a very soft way.  As I Boil Ice has a section of high singing and whisper growling which stood out to me.

I think my preference is the screams and growls, as well as the most soft singing. The more rough singing, I don't like as much. 

Music

Solid groovy and chunky music! I find that each instrument has its time to shine. I am not surprised at the mixed format in these songs. I know Tatiana claims she can't make up her mind on which way to go. The rest of the band clearly agrees. The different sections though not always flowing have great movement, they actually makes me visualize swirling paths of the music (yes, I know I am weird). The layout is wandering and somewhat disjointed, but something I have come to expect from this band. Some songs come to a very slowed pace, but keep the vibe going with the interaction between instruments. A few songs were more straightforward. The style in a few songs felt a little off the track for Jinjer, such as Disclosure!, which sounds like something from the 90's.

Call Me a Symbol

Have they had a taste of being idolized? This band has blown up and maybe they are feeling the eyes on them? This certainly is about being idolized.

Would you take a look at me
Surrender, can't you see?
Don't fear to burn your eyes
With how, how perfect I can be
The sickest fantasy coming to life
Vanity is my identity
I'm overflown with self-love
To kiss my blessed feet, they are crawling near
What tramples over them? My feet

Colossus

I can't help but think of Shadow of the Colossus, the video game. I always felt bad for the colossi. I thought they were kinda cute. Maybe we were overreacting by taking them out?

Is this maybe talking about the pride or gut reaction we have sometimes to attack and take out other people because we find them threatening in some way?

Am I the colossus
Right before his fall
Stripped of all my forces
Losing the control?
Am I the colossus
Or just acting the same role?

Oh, how much longer
Will they keep on stabbing me?
The hate mongers
Rose above and made their plea

Vortex

I think this is talking about being pulled into a troubled state of mind, while giving you the imagery of a vortex.

The lines are talking about the weight of thoughts in your head. Things are going downward. At one point, the staircase the person is travelling on completely disappears.

Like a feather I travel down (a spiral staircase)
One more loop through abyss (where stairs are erased)
Like a feather I travel down (a spiral staircase)
Falling deeper than it is (all stairs are erased)

Oh, how heavy is his thought
In a half an hour or so
It crushed the floor
And smashed the man's toes

Disclosure!

This song sounds a bit defensive, like someone doesn't agree with you and they want to change your thoughts. They are placing their thoughts everywhere.

Disclosure
You wanna stake me out
We're taking
Another round

(Yeah) I jumped out of TV
(Yeah) I'm here to spread the disease
I'll put us up on a screen
Don't you dare to disagree with me

Copycat

I was always told if someone were to copy me, it was actually flattering. It was because they liked something I was doing. I never bought it as a kid. I am not a fan. Use your own brain, and do your own thing. Don't be a copycat!

I think this is one of the reasons I never liked group work. I am more of an independent worker.

A greedy mimic
Gimme, gimme, gimme
Something to imitate, then get all the credits
Where's your id and why you think it's here?
It's like I buy the same old shit
Under a new label
It's like I use the same old crap
But now it's all rebranded

Pearls and Swine

These lyrics are so corny! I had never heard of this saying before. I had to look it up. There are plenty of people that don't appreciate things you offer. Plenty of wasted things.

There is no teacher in this world
Who would dare to teach a piglet
How one can smartly use a word
To express its feelings

Casting pearls before swine
Is such a thankless job
Swine are not used to jewel
Bedraggled dress with pearls

Sleep of the Righteous

This seems to be a visual of something haunting you. Maybe it is actually anxiety, insomnia, or depression. You never truly sink into restful sleep because there is too much on your mind, too many things that can't be controlled.

It appears from the darkness
My body burns in its presence
As I softly sink into the dream
The door has opened, I can't resist

I see its shadow, the blackest black
The widest grin from ear to ear
I see its tail like a snake
I feel two palms upon my back

Wallflower

In grade five my teacher nicknamed me her wallflower. I didn't think too much of it. I assumed it was because I was quiet and shy. I didn't have too much to say.

I think this song is about being this wallflower type of person. The person that is quieter in large groups, needs time to themselves, who distances themselves from others, and is maybe shy and guarded.

Your capsule is your fortress
Where you can lick your wounds
You are people avoiding people
And fall in love with solitude

They won't find me in my shell
The chances go to zero
I'm a guest in my own skin
I take it off and be myself

Dead Hands Feel No Pain

I think this is talking about anxiety and not trusting people. I think a lot of people have a guard around their heart. Most likely because experience has taught them it is necessary in order to survive. I am definitely a guarded person.

The strings of my soul
Got loose too soon
'Cause the reins of my heart
Were too tight all the time
Were too tight all the time

An intricate wеaving of a barrier
Separating death from life

Dead hands feel no pain
Blackened hearts, early graves
A reflection of the sky
Through the mirrors of the eyes

As I Boil Ice

This sounds like a person that is struggling with how they are, and who they are. Maybe they have characteristics that are relentless and tire even themselves. I sure wish there was a manual specific to me and how I should do each step at any given moment. Even if we have a certain set of morals we follow, the little details and grey areas can be frustrating. The repeated sequences and places we find our selves can prove exhausting. 

What kind of mood were you in
When you clapped me together
Accidentally
Sick and fatigue
Uninspired, half asleep?

Then threw me in a box
Sent me to the earth
The manual is lost
Somewhere in the post

Mediator

There are so many things that make you wonder in life. So true, don't we wish for good things for ourselves and others? I don't think we all do. Many of us have hardened ourselves against others. We no longer see other people, we just set our sights on ourselves. Maybe the person featured in this song feels like they are always trying to help others understand how it would be from the other's perspective.

My dream has always been
Life has always seemed
To be an amusement park
Rather colourful than dark

I wanted a loser to win
The thin never starving
The full not keeping it down
And needing nothing from now on

I wanted the poor to live in abundance
I wanted the rich to have someone
Except for himself
To love and take care of

Playlist Pick

I had a hard time making my decision here!

Call Me a Symbol will be on my playlist. I like that this song is heavier and memorable. It really takes the pace down nicely, part of the way through, too. It has a certain intensity about it.

I Boil Ice will also be on my playlist because I like the variety and flow of this song.

I think I need to hear some other albums from this band and see how they compare. Maybe a later task.