Jakobinarina come from a few miles outside of Reykjavik, but sound like they could have been part of the 70s British punk movement. With lashings of The Clash and The Libertines throughout this album, it is easy to imagine that this is a band who have come together in the heart of London. This is a band who come from the suburbs and want to get out. Like Hard Fi 2 years ago, their music is inspired by wanting to get out of the place they live and get more from life. This is an energy that comes at you at 100 miles an hour and the energy of the youthful band never dissipates throughout the album.
If you want energy driven punk with an Indie twist then this is a band for you. Loud guitars, a seemingly effortless gift for hooks and melody and you have a lively and forceful debut album. Singing about leaving Iceland for good, makes you wonder just how bad it could be in a country so full of beauty. Maybe for Iceland’s youth, the country’s beauty simply doesn’t give them enough to want to stay for and the world seems so close so leaving is the only option. However, the album does leave you with a feeling that this is just another angry youth band who has nothing more to say than any other.
At times, the album reminds me of the Dropkick Murphys. That ability the Irish American band has to make listeners want to get up and go crazy is seen in this album. The (at times) distorted lyrics and crunching guitars in not quite polished songs are enjoyable. However, this is not to say the album is perfect by any means. It is a debut album and sounds like one. It has flashes of brilliance, but it also feels as the album progresses that the band needed to write material to finish it. Perhaps an extended EP release would have been a much smarter option for this band – and prevented the beginnings of boredom by the end of this release.
As with many debut albums, this is a band with oodles of potential whilst leaving the listener feeling that this may never be realised. It will be what the band does from here that shows whether they are a band to keep track of or just another wannabe.
With song titles like
Monday I’m In Vain,
End Of Transmission No.6 and
Nice Guys Don’t Play Good Music, you would be excused for thinking that these were covers of Fall Out Boy or Panic! At The Disco songs.
This is a band of teenagers from Iceland and, as with most teenagers, the songs reflect a life of boredom and lack of direction – a teenage existence seen the world over. Maybe, therefore, this music will strike a chord with teenagers who will empathise with the lyrics. However, the attitude of “things are better elsewhere” and “life is boring” is something most people grow out of, and an older audience is more likely to dismiss the lyrics as just another moody teenager moaning.
The energy of this album makes it listenable, but the album is lacking in much more. One to put on as you are heading out for a night to get your blood pumping but not an album of inspiration or much interest.
The PR information states, “Jakobinarina: worth crossing the road for….”. This is possibly true – if you are trying to avoid them.
Tracks can be heard at
www.myspace.com/jakobinarina and the band’s website can be found at
www.jakobinarina.com
