Having stamped his name on the musical landscape with his dynamic range of rootsy garage-rock, London virtuoso Michael Jablonka has taken a more pared-back turn for his new EP, a four-track collection inspired by the singular sound of a trusted piece of equipment and how it drew out compositions of a more wistful, contemplative nature.
“The EP was inspired by an old drum machine I picked up in New York,” says Michael. “I initially started using it as a tool for demoing tracks at home and eventually thought it would be an interesting idea to make it the centrepiece of a body of work.”
It’s a concept that’s much in evidence on the title track, which begins with said drum machine locking on to a deadpan bassline that leads into Michael’s haunting vocal and chiming guitar. For all its laidback beginnings, ‘Go-Go’ gradually crescendos into the type of raw rock’n’soul more readily associated with the artist, as a characteristically impossible guitar solo segues into an impactful climax. Throughout, Michael muses on people’s tendency to fear their own individuality and conform to expectations, as he expresses in the indelible chorus: ‘Meanwhile my heart is yearning / What life we have is fleeting”.
Although the title track is the most full-on of the four songs, it fits neatly into the EP’s overall sonic theme. “The more I’d accompany myself with the drum machine,” says Michael, “the more I started to envision the concept of the EP as this kind of lo-fi, meandering train of thought.”
It’s a train of thought that has led to the subtle epics of ‘Play Dead’, with its ice-cool groove underpinning the universal lament of unrequited love; the hip soulful shuffle and backwards tracking of ‘As If You Weren’t Even Here’, which reflects on the transient nature of friendships and relationships and the feeling of loneliness engendered by moving on; and ‘Homesick’, a jewel of sweet, dream-like blues. Another theme the four tracks share is further evidence of MJ’s ear for a sharp vocal melody as well as his delicious guitar skills, conveyed here in everything from beautiful melodic embellishments to jaw-dropping, ground-breaking solos.
‘Go-Go’ EP tracklisting
1.Play Dead
2.As If You Weren’t Even Here
3.Go-Go
4.Homesick
About Michael Jablonka
Born and bred in the capital, Michael Jablonka has been gigging since the tender age of 14 as an in-demand guitarist for hire. His skills have been utilised by some of the country’s major rock and pop acts, and this summer Jablonka continues his tour of arenas and festivals worldwide with fellow North Londoner and Brit-soul sensation Michael Kiwanuka. Far more than an exceptional session musician, Michael Jablonka is blazing his own trail as a bandleader and songwriter, collating a set of intense yet universal rock’n’soul tunes.
Jablonka’s powerful 21st-century take on grungy alt-blues is proof that there’s still nothing to tingle the spine like raw, beautiful mastery of the electric six-string. His gifted, intricate guitar skills bely the no-frills anthemic intent of such rootsy singles as ‘Flump’, ‘Peacefully’ ‘I Found You’ and ‘Papier-Maché’ – all released by Lost In The Manor Records over the past two years to considerable clamour. His latest EP, ‘Go-Go’ is set to draw an equally enthusiastic reaction.
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