Album Review: Jaill “That’s How We Burn”

By Tracy Tieu

Kicking off with futuristic chimes transcending into knocks of heavy bass and stark percussion elements, at only 30 seconds into the opening track entitled “The Stroller,” it isn’t hard to know what Milwaukee natives Jaill are all about. The group boasts a strong sense of playfulness and charm, evident in their album cover displaying a girl standing on an overcast beach in a dolphin shaped hat.

Jaill’s That’s How We Burn delivers 11 tracks of unapologetic, garage-influenced speed pop clocking in at just over half an hour. Whether you’re bobbing your head or tapping your feet, this frantic yet organized cacophony screams “feel good” and will undeniably keep you moving. As their third full-length release, That’s How We Burn is the quartet’s debut album on the Sub Pop label. Highlighted with terse guitar riffs and a carefree vibe that can be found in tracks like “Demon” and “How’s the Grave,” That’s How We Burn lets off a nostalgic steam of all the elements for a solid rock album but manages to instill a surf rock edge similar to former Sub Pop band the Shins.

With sweeps of plangent vocals underscored with upbeat melodies and lines like “’cause she’s my, she’s my baby,” lead vocalist Vincent Kircher takes a guileless approach towards songwriting and achieves a type of bubblegum simplicity that counters his brooding vocals. Tracks like “Everyone’s Hip” and “Snake Shakes” are riddled with all the perfect shifts at all the perfect times, bolstering a slice of melancholic psych-pop spiked with occasional scrapes of heavier guitar clatter. Simply put, Jaill bring all the glory of ’90s lo-fi pop to life with an album that unveils the band’s inherent quirkiness through an enthusiasm that is both vibrant and developed.

Read more here: http://www.dailycal.org/article/109899/jaill_-_that_s_how_we_burn
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