JACK AND THE BEARDED FISHERMEN: Playful Winds (STONER): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Some might have thought they would never be seen again. And yet, after a break that lasted eight years, Jack And The Bearded Fisherman are back this year with a fourth album, "Playful Winds".

Founded in 2005 in France, the band was originally supposed to get back to work in 2019 with a return to the stage. The plans of a certain covid-19 having decided otherwise, they then take advantage of it to take again the way of the writing and the studio. If during these eight years the musicians were mobilized and busy with their respective projects (Horskh and Red Gloves to name but a few), one feels here a real fun and an authentic sincerity.

Some people talk about post-hardcore, others about noise or even heavy rock with indie tendencies, but it is also possible to stick the label "stoner" to the quintet. For those who are not familiar with these terms, we can speak here of rock that stains, of slow saturated guitars, of a universe where the guitars feedback and where the dissonance dominates.

'Beware Of Birds' is the title chosen by the band as the first single, and this choice is quite understandable, the track being probably the most effective of the album. With its guitar melodies reminiscent of Muse, this opening track combines melody and power very well. The Mastodon influences are obvious on most of the tracks, with a less metal side, like on 'Fingers Crossed' where the grimy sounds and the sweaty ambiences are legion.

But maybe by trying too hard to respect the codes of the genre, the music of the quintet loses originality and risk-taking, even if it is true that these two characteristics are not necessarily representative of the stoner scene, at least at first sight. However, some instrumental interludes would have deserved to be more developed. This is the case of 'Periscope' and its acoustic guitar that takes the time to set the mood before being cut by 'Lips As Martyr'. The eponymous track 'Playful Winds' deploys a rather intriguing classical atmosphere out of nowhere, which we would have liked to see materialize on the following track, 'Silent Films', which proposes instead a 180 degrees turn, even if the track is certainly one of the strongest of the disc.

Anyway, this return to the front of the stage is a pleasure to see. Also, after more than fifteen years of existence, it's nice to see that bands still manage to create and propose content, keeping an obvious pleasure of playing and sharing. So let's wish Jack and his famous fishing buddies good luck for the next fifteen years! - Official website

JACK AND THE BEARDED FISHERMEN

PLAYFUL WINDS

AUTRE LABEL

STONER