Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
All points on the compass eventually find a way home if you search long enough. All directions are possible in between if the search is pure and fruitful, it is how you enjoy the journey that truly is the main consideration.
Middle age is a direction on the compass that perhaps gets overlooked with anguish when you are younger, it is almost revelled within though once you get there; for the desperation of youthful desire is replaced with the contentment of achieving balance once the world has decided you are no longer a threat. The trouble is with the world’s attitude is that the creative streak in us all is ripe for revolution and anarchy and even if it is just to bow out in eventual swagger and have the glint in the eye relish the challenge then humanity will always win out.
The peaks on the compass hide the extent of scope available to all but those who see beyond the four Cardinal points, and in Mike Jacoby’s second solo release NorthEastSouthWest, the peaks gather and mould themselves into a piece of music that enjoy the position of responsibility created by the popular Los Angeles based musician.
As with all things in life, the album is about reaction and effect, the sweetness in finding something you offer, no matter how small, is enjoyed and allows the fallout to be spread evenly across the possible fan base. It is the point of principal that the story must be told, that being humble in any type of adversity or privilege is commendable and to be admired and the 11 songs that make up NorthEastSouthWest are indeed to be seen as commendable and overwhelmingly humble.
It is the comedy within the reflection that grabs the attention throughout, the sense of occasion in which absurdity is to be held up as a prime example of what makes humanity tick, especially in relationships and in songs such as Talk A Good Game, Nevermind Me, Shovels and Rope and Lie In Bed, the style of the performer comes across with enthusiasm and forthright consistency; it is the gathering of humble thoughts and openness that allows the blunt edge of humanity’s illogical presence on Earth to be seen as a happy accident in which we should revel.
NorthEastSouthWest shows that Middle Age brings its own desires, sometimes scratching the surface of it allows a certain humour to shine through the darkness.
Ian D. Hall