Jake, the Dog is Jacob Avery Shank. He recently released a self-titled seven song album Jake, the Dog. He explains: “The songwriting and recording came about this past year (2020), right as quarantining started to happen. I (Jake) was playing in a couple of bands whose shows were quickly canceled. I was left with time on my hands and wanted to record songs that I had been working on.” That’s a familiar story and if one good thing came out of COVID it’s the massive amounts of quality music that came from it.
There are a number of different styles but the focus is on indie pop and rock. “Innocence” is the opener and is a subdued, melancholy and pensive song that’s heartfelt and tender. There’s some nice guitar picking and vocals giving a slight Radiohead vibe to the songs. “On the Fence'' is a leap in energy. It’s a song that’s slightly funky with a prominent bass line that’s combined with strummed acoustic guitar. The vocals are delivered in a more lively and dynamic way than the opener. “Runner Chaser” is a bright and upbeat number. It’s straightforward but filled with some great vocals. There’s a good amount of emotion as well as memorable melodies which were easy to appreciate. The slower and melancholy “Quarter Cent” is on point as well bringing up Elliott Smith type of vibes. “Bardos” is a funky and atmospheric song that felt a tad out of place compared to the tone of the rest of the album. I was reminded of Thundercat. “Rhyme/Reason” is a lo-fi but catchy number while “Deadhead” is celebratory and felt like an appropriate closer. The recording quality is varied throughout. There are a number of songs which are noticeably more lo-fi than others and also a different volume. These are issues usually resolved by a mixing or mastering engineer but there’s only so much that can be done depending on the source. Overall, this is a solid release with a number of gems. Take a listen.
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