The Janks - 'Hands Of Time'
LA-based trio The Janks (two brothers and bestfriend) are here to save The States' Rock/Folk legacy, if their hyperbolic press release is to be believed, with their debut release 'Hands of Time' a title which is no doubt a comment on their cross-generational influences from Zeppelin to Queen to Ween. Somehow they've managed to streamline 40 years of rock history into 14 tracks covering 52 minutes, which doubtless is a long album by modern standards but really? Is their ego that big? It seems so. Oh the naivete of debuting artists. Perhaps they're right but how many others have started out with the same fresh-faced self-belief before hitting the bitter brickwork of reality?
Here's to finding out whether their album (described as "like musical theatre" by Dylan Zmed) fulfils its lofty promise.
Opening track 'Hands Of Time' is a jolly fairground ride of a track along the lines of the vaudeville pretensions of Carl Barat's solo album, but even though the relevance is elusive it is definitely an attractive introduction and brave. 'Hands Of Time' then moulds itself into the soft, folk rock melancholy of 'Billy The Kid' and the echoing guitar simplicity that tugs on the heartstrings as each carefully considered note pings and fades away into a fog of reverb and brushed percussion.
'Dead Man' takes the melancholia of its predecessor and adds the angst of a broken heart and captures the self-pity that comes with a bad break-up. The vocals are haunting as they howl out the agony of the song's protagonist in a burgeoning, explosive chorus that would have any stadium singing along. Truly impressive.
'Can't give up' is short and sees the protagonist "dust (himself) off and carry on" to some very persuasive rockabilly cheer that is delivered in close-on spoken vocals interspersed with harmonised howls.
The trio continue to pump out clinical, heavily influenced yet uniquely Jankian folk rock with each track narrating the emotional and physical growth of the album's subject and it's not until track 7 that there's an emphatic change in style, and it's just in time as someone was starting to lose interest. In the vein of The Who's 'Tommy' The Janks come out of nowhere with a classic 70's inspired Zepellin-esque track though the vocals do take on Jim Morrison overtones at times but that does not detract from the crashing heavy rock feedback strewn abandon of 'Rat Racers' that blows the roof off not just in its surprise attack, but in the awesome musical talent of this trio.
'Separation From Your Body' follows in a more sedate surf-rock California c.1970's vibe that brings to mind Dinosaur Jr.'s work with piano accompaniment that lends the track a certain sophistication and at close on 6 minutes the operatic pretensions of the group are becoming clearer with every build and break. The stomping rock of 'Demon Days' sounds exactly like a Kings Of Leon track with vocalist Dylan Zmed screeching in true southern fashion before the band careers off in 'Free Bird' double time guitar gymnastics before returning to the original stomping headbanging power rock that closes on a literal high note that has Dylan sounding a shade metal.
Another genre change comes with 'Child Prodigy' that has Freddie Mercury's vocals all over it while its grand theatrics even see Brian May's Bohemian Rhapsody guitar parts slipping in; in fact the whole track smacks just a little too much of that track in particular and as the descending chord structure and vocal harmonies build one would be forgiven for preparing an impromptu Wayne's World moment but alas it never comes.
Thankfully 'When I was a Kid' and its mellow maturity is 100 percent The Janks and is blissfully melancholic as is closing track 'Get Outta Town' with its positive message that "You can do anything, You can be someone else if you want", "You can be anyone, You can even be yourself".
This really is a rollercoaster of an album, from its gritty southern rock to its slightly camp Queen-esque theatrics it grabs your attention from the outset and just doesn't let go. The guy who wrote the press release was right, this is a band to watch. They have it all, and in abundance.
Watch your backs Kings Of Leon and anyone else for that matter, because your audience's expectations are about to be raised a lot higher.