far far future - Things of This Nature

Far Far Future

Things of This Nature

self-released; 2014
3.7 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Jakob Clark has been involved with music most of his life. He starting writing and performing music at the age of thirteen and since then has toured and played in numerous bands while refining his craft. His latest focus is a solo project entitled Far Far Future. He recently released a very enjoyable eight-song album entitled Things of This Nature that is a mix between rock and pop while tipping his hat to legends like Bowie, Roy Orbison and Echo and the Bunnymen. Clark’s songwriting is certainly impressive as is his attention to aesthetics. The songs spew pop but Clark mixes in what you could call experimental sounds and textures. He might alter his voice with modulation on one song and then implement dissonant theremin-like synth tones on another. It’s an eclectic album that gets a lot of things right.

Clark has a deep, robust vocal style that can be compared to Bowie. His delivery is rich, heartfelt and effective. The vocals are certainly the anchor that holds down the songs but the music could easily stand on its own.

Clark opens with ”Batting Lashes,” which combines an acoustic guitar, a trembling modulated synth, bass and light percussion. He uses auto-tune as an effect here much in the same way that Bon Iver does occasionally. The song is just over two-minutes long and doesn’t burst out of the gate but serves to warm up the meat and potatoes of the album.

One of the highlights is unequivocally “Michael.” Clark sounds most like Bowie on this song and even the music has a ‘70s feel. Regardless of the Bowie influence the song is thoroughly enjoyable. I especially was drawn to the vocal harmonies that combine with his lead vocal. “PS, PS, PS” is a synth-based song with an ample amount of manipulated sine waves while “I Cannot Sit There” is an upbeat yet dark song that is arguably the most dance worthy on the album.

My only slight issue with the album is when it comes to the quality of the recordings. Some of the songs are a bit too narrow without much separation. Other than that the DIY approach here was better than average. Overall, Things of This Nature is a solid album and certainly worth some of your time. 

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