Jack Bz - The Light is Behind Me (Folk/Shoegaze album I recorded)

[Jack Bz]

www.jackbz.com
click here for a free download (or stream it if you prefer)

I spent about 6 months recording an album. It's a (mostly) melancholic folk record with a large shoegaze element, inspired by artists like Red House Painters, My Bloody Valentine, Elliott Smith, Bon Iver, Nick Drake, Sun Kil Moon etc. Would definitely appreciate any downloads/comments/thoughts you have, or questions etc.

Also:

Facebook page!!!!

More music from Ugmo Records (music collective me and Coredor are a part of


EDIT: preview:

[Bown]

This album is really good you guys. Anyone who's really into shoegaze/dream pop type stuff will enjoy it. Cade, you should listen to this!

[Pizza The Hut]

grabbin'

[Based Scrooge]

.

[Breed]

Great great album, definitely give it a listen if you haven't yet.

[Jack Bz]

Yeah! Also thanks guys. Interested on your thoughts Pizza, if you've listened.

[Dominator Dan]

IT PASSED BY IS REALLY LOVELY

the whole album is just really really nice to listen to and drift with.

great work jack, of course, with stuff like this all the songs do sound quite similar, but who cares.

[Jack Bz]

Thanks Dan. Bumping this a last time 'cos I have some soundclouds now:

[Pizza The Hut]

I listened, and I have some things to say, I'm just too much of a piece of shit procrastinator to type it out.

[Jack Bz]

Hahahaha, well alright.

[Ben Rice]

I LIKE IT

[Pizza The Hut]

Okay instead of just leaving you hanging endlessly, I'll just write something briefer, hopefully you don't mind:

I enjoyed it a lot, listened to it about 3-4 times (some songs more than others). It has a good sense of atmosphere and ambience, a sense of calming that at times feels like the ocean (the "noisy" calm) and at others feels like a vast landscape such as the mountains (the more "clean, windy" calm), a nice blend of the two.

What I have to critique here is not the sound or production or anything like that - as I just said, that is great. What I can offer as criticism here, and sorry if this sounds harsh, just my honest opinion: your musical identity. I feel you haven't quite figured out the direction you want to go yet, and that's perfectly okay seeing as you're still early on (is this your first major release?). The overall direction and pacing seems uncertain, apprehensive, a little too careful and maybe "playing it safe" perhaps? If that makes any sense.

But I also feel it's a very significant step forward for you if you decide to continue with music. I think with this you've proven that you can make very solid music, and again I enjoyed it, not trying to downplay that, but if I'm being critically honest I'd like to hear a tad riskier songwriting. Challenge yourself even more on the next go, I know you can handle it . I can see you going places with your music if you take this to the next level, and I look forward to it if you do!

[Jack Bz]

This was my first album/proper release, yeah. It was actually my first ever attempt at tackling recording music properly, with actual microphones and all that. The main thing I wanted to do was learn how to make shoegaze music because I was really getting into all of it last year.

I wasn't attempting to be particularly safe with the song writing really though, if it did seem that way. I was actually worried about it being off putting after I made it seeing as a lot of the songs rely on just lots of repetition (though maybe that's what you were referring to?)/go near the 6 minute mark etc. Though I would definitely like to do an album that is more instrumentally varied and not all based on a foundation of acoustic guitars etc. I'd like to have done more variation on tempo etc.

Thanks for writing your thoughts dude! I'll probably have a new song out within a month or so.

[Pizza The Hut]

Okay fair enough, perhaps "safe" isn't exactly the word I was going for here. I didn't articulate well enough, or did so incorrectly. (that's what usually happens when I try to keep shit brief)

I think I just wanted to say I can hear the potential for growth and being fleshed out into something that defines you more. And I trust you'll do that. Not that this is bad now or anything, as I said it's great, and an excellent debut.

[Dr Ashworth]

I got around to this album a bit late, but it's gorgeous sounding. I love the reverberated guitar / harmonized vox sounds that just sort of flow. Some of my favorite artists have similar sounding ethereal atmosphere, Panda Bear and M83 (they have quite a few shoegaze songs hidden beneath their pop) are a few. To Pizza's point, usually all it takes to make this core sound a 'unique style' is some other element. Like My Bloody Valentine has their twisted guitars, Panda Bear has his sampling. I guess you could argue that yours doesn't really need these though, it already sounds great as it is.

"Old Memory" is a track that is kind of like your bridge between album halves, but I think it's fucking awesome in its simplicity. Very soundtrackish and it does bring up nostalgic feelings.

Anyway, really inspiring, nice work!

[Jack Bz]

Thanks a lot for listening man, glad you enjoyed. And yep you pretty much got the intended atmosphere of "Old Memory" down. I made it to be a simplistic/nostalgic sounding bridge, even though it was the first thing for this I actually recorded. When I first started recording I didn't really know how the album was gonna turn out, and had it in my mind as a mostly instrumental album at first.

Also I'll have a new song/accompanying music video at the start of next month probably