An Error Has Occurred - The Janitors
5/6/2024
7 out of 10
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One of the things I was looking forward to doing most when building this site was the ability to discover music - to jump into new discographies and albums and experience them for the first time, like a goldfish in a new tank. That's I wanted to predominantly focus on NEW music, as I would provide up to date content and be able to listen to new albums as they came out - maybe some would turn into future classics or maybe they would go down infamously in history.
This is how i discovered The Janitors, a Swedish Psychedelic/Drone Rock band that formed before my time, in 2004. This album marks 20 years since their arrival (and 14 years since their debut album, "First Sign of Delirium." I was scrolling through Rateyourmusic.com, an absolutely top notch place, when i discovered this band. And what intrigued me most was the album cover, a strange mix of orange and military green that depicts an interestingly twisted space-scape.
I guess that's the best thing about album covers - if it is eyecatching and stands out from the rest, youll be drawn to listen to it - to discover the counterpart to the picture, to really involve your ears in the music. And even if you don't listen to the genre the album describes itself as (or maybe you don't know the genre at all), the art will pull you in anyhow, and show you a new glimpse of an unknown sound.
This takes us onto the album. I have to say I haven't listened to much like this before, but i thoroughly enjoyed delving into this album and hearing the fuzzy soundscapes The Janitors had to offer. The album opens with "Anger the world", which lyrically delves into dystopian rebellion. In their own words, The Janitors believe that "Everything’s been fucked since David Bowie died or they started up the Hadron Collider", and this track epitomises that belief.
The track opens with the wailing feedback panned either side slowly, softly starting up before bursting into a drone filled soundscape with delay soaked guitars, and a repetitive infectious riff that crescendos up and down like a large crashing wave. The mix makes full use of the stereo field, bombarding the wider areas with a crunch textured fuzz that protudes the The singer sings a bit like Ian Curtis but more sustained and doomy (?), it fits the instrumental quite well, and later on in the song they are swallowed by the surrounding guitars. The drumming patterns remind me quite of Moe Tucker of Velvet Underground with their simplistic beat almost like beating a punching bag with a big stick.
I like how this whole album utilises the loud/quiet dynamics akin to bands like Pixies, and adds layers of brutalist distortion. This is heavily apparent on songs such as Kalfjallet, where the guitars crescendo in and out every four bars. It creates a wave dynamic much like sailing a boat at sea, but the boat is enormous, on fire, and your only guessing how to sail. I think this track shows the vocalists ability very well, especially where his voice layers upon itself to create a haunting chorus.
While the first side is full of swagger and menace, the second side takes it's foot off the pedal and lets the wheels float into the sea, bringing a more drone approach to the structure and instrumentation. This side kind of lost me, i wasn't particularly a fan of the repetitive nature of the long extended solos and sequence that seemed to slowly build up into nothing but the ending of the song. The final track however, "Farewell Spacegirl", utilises the wandering timbres technique of the second side very well, with a steady trip hop and tribal inspired drum beat that takes the song into a different feeling, utilising dreamy vocals, spacious reverb and a consistently prominent and psychedelic organ to create my personal favourite track on this whole album.
This album is great at what it sets out to give you - a droney, psychy 40 minute album that doesn't waste your time, full of fuzz pedals, tie dye and retro-futuristic toy spaceships. It is definitely worth a listen at least once, maybe even twice. Give a listen.