Jo Passed
Their Prime
Sub Pop
Jul 17, 2018
Jo Passed
Sub Pop are proclaiming this debut album from Jo Passed to sound like “fucked-up Beatles.” Such descriptions are sometimes a little lazy and certainly help reviewers like me when they are as crib-able as this one is, but the trouble is, one listen to this frankly astonishing record will confirm that the description is just about spot on.
Do you love the songwriting and harmonics of Messrs Lennon and McCartney but wonder what they would have sounded like if they’d processed their melodious tendencies through a love of discordant early ‘90s rock and roll (had they had the opportunity to)? Go on, admit it, it’s a thought which rests somewhere between tantalizing and terrifying. Well, Jo Passed have got somewhere close on this record. Whether it’s the shift from the pretty front half of opener “Left” to its gorgeously off-center ending, the drive and focus of “MDM,” or the rolling bass of “Glass” which draws you in, you’ll find an album equally rich in bombast and noise on the one hand and clever musicality on the other. Jo Passed strike this writer as the most intelligent, compositionally speaking, rock band to emerge for many a long year. No wonder Sub Pop have snapped them up. This could be the album that catapults them into the consciousness of every discerning indie rock aficionado. (www.jopassed.com)
Author rating: 8/10
Average reader rating: 7/10
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April 15th 2019
10:15am
Thank you for such a well written article. It’s full of insightful information and entertaining descriptions. Your point of view is the best among many.