REVIEWS

Jack Dark
Vagabond Neologist

Posted: Thursday, March 30, 2006
By: Ilker Yucel
Editor

When Throbbing Gristle emerged in the mid-'70s, who knew that history would remember them as pioneers in what could be considered acceptable forms of music. Besides deconstructing the foundations of what people think of as music, they were known as well for their use of unorthodox instrumentation; group member Chris Carter designed and built many of the synthesizers and proto-samplers used by the band, not only owing to a unique sound and method, but paving the way for the way future synthesizers would be built. Today, IDM artists such as Autechre and Aphex Twin are doing the same, building their own modules and programming their own software to make their music even more unique. Jack Dark is on his way to making a name for himself as another pioneer of modern electronic music. Besides designing his own set of plug-ins, his style of songwriting blends the glitch elements of IDM with the melody and pop structures of synthpop and electroclash. All of this comes together to form the sound of his debut full-length album, Vagabond Neologist, showcasing a sound that Mr. Dark has proclaimed "synthclash."

"Words Like Knives" starts things off with what could be called the signature Jack Dark sound. Combining pounding percussion with glitchy synths reminiscent of a malfunctioning Nintendo Entertainment System, and topped off with Mr. Dark's intensely processed vocals (which admittedly some may find annoying, though considering the inherent weirdness of the music, are indeed appropriate). "Chemical Love" is one of the best tracks on the album, with a synth melody made up of catchy vocoder vocals and fluctuating plucks of trickling synths. Classic rock purists may be offended at the incredibly strange cover of The Doors' "People are Strange," though Mr. Dark’s familiar-yet-alien style somehow suits the subject matter of the song perfectly. "Brand New Déjà Vu" and "Prayerscape" are more subdued romps with yet more Nintendo-esque sounds. Listeners would do well to keep their GameBoys at bay lest the urge to play endless hours of Super Mario Bros. kicks in. "Irony is the Spice of Life" is a sequencing masterpiece, with layers of interlocking arpeggios and percussion underlying whimsical lyrics that are at once humorous and sinister. "Child Eyes" drifts by with even more vocal strangeness, while "Dr. Neologist" is a pulsating and rhythmic flight of surgical fancy. There are traces of ambient and world music in "Empty People," with only a slight bass pulse acting as percussion and some Oriental sounding pulses amidst a slightly out-of-tune piano. Ending this strange journey is "Rawhide Funk;" with a synth line similar to "Brand New Déjà Vu," and a funky faux-slap bass, as well as some 8-bit synth sounds (again, with those Nintendo sounds), this track closes the album on an upbeat note.

For an independent release, Mr. Dark has put in a great deal of time and material to make Vagabond Neologist a comprehensive debut. Besides the ten tracks of music, also included on the enhanced CD are lyrics and a synopsis of the album in which we are treated to some biographical information behind the man's music and the makeup of the songs themselves. While this might only be appealing to gearheads, it's still a testament to Mr. Dark's dedication to his craft. As a bonus, the Z-Sides companion EP (which ReGen ReViewed some weeks ago) is also included in MP3 format, giving listeners the complete Jack Dark experience. Unlike Z-Sides, the music on Vagabond Neologist is far more structured, possessing more in the way of melodies that the uninitiated listener can grasp onto. The album is also easier on the ears with better attention paid to the mixing and production, sounding much more professional than most bands' and artists' debuts. Enthusiasts of proto-industrial and IDM music will find a great deal of enjoyment in Jack Dark's Vagabond Neologist. Exemplifying the adventurous spirit of those genres, and infusing them with his unique vision, this new "synthclash" style presented on this album is a truly revelatory and original style of music that is both recognizable and otherworldly. If Mr. Dark can maintain this level of quality experimentalism on future releases, he will definitely be a luminary in the future of electronic music.