Jess and the Ancient Ones - Astral Sabbat
Last year I criticized Jess and the Ancient Ones’ self-titled LP for being an unauthentic, boring listen, and I still stand by those words for the most part. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to mention that the song “Sulfur Giants” has significantly grown on me since that review, earning itself heavy rotation during my nightly inebriation rituals. (Sure, the rest of the album is worthless, but in hindsight, perhaps a three-quarters-of-a-point rating spike should’ve been in order.) That sad ‘n’ soulful tune has also successfully piqued my interest concerning this prompt 3-song follow-up. If these three cuts prove to be half as good as my beloved epic, it’d make for one hell of a rebound effort. Or at worst, maybe one of them will serve as “Sulfur Giants 2”? No such luck. If anything, this ’70s-obsessed Occult Rock outfit is moving yet further away from the meaningful and the morose. The opening title track sounds like their take on The Munsters theme song, and henceforth, is quickly skipped the fuck over. Next up they drop a Shocking Blue cover on us. If you don’t remember the trippy Dutch quartet, that’s probably because no one does. However, chances are you’re familiar with a couple of their songs. Nirvana covered “Love Buzz” on their classic Bleach debut, and Bananarama’s only hit, “Venus,” was actually a Shocking Blue cover as well. Somehow I don’t think Jess and the gang’s rendition of “Long and Lonesome Road” will make the same kind of waves. It’s a fairly lifeless psychedelic ditty, perhaps a bit too true to the original for its own good. That leaves 15-minute closer “More Than Living” as the only hope for something salvageable. It is by far the best track here. Beginning with an acoustic air of somber melancholy given wings by Jess’s ’70s-diva-with-the-blues approach, the song subtly escalates into an all-out, organ-fueled hippie jamfest. Despite convincing sincerity and fluent playing throughout, this epic tune ultimately fails to sustain its emotional weight. So… yeah… that about wraps things up. Thanks for the leftover throwaway scraps. I think I’ll go listen to “Sulfur Giants” 33 times while masturbating onto my holographic Shroud of Turin replica and crying.
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