Justin Broadrick and company has been extremely busy. Sundown/ Sunrise is a two-song 12" EP that Aurora Borealis is releasing. These songs are also available on the Japanese import version of the latest Jesu album, Conqueror. The tracks are not remixes of songs on the album, but rather they are entities to and of themselves. With a combined running time of over a half hour, Sundown/Sunrise could almost be considered an album unto itself. This EP is just Justin and Diarmuid Dalton, the bassist of Jesu, and a drum machine - Broadrick must be returning a bit to his Godflesh roots.
"Sundown" is an extremely laid back affair. The song builds from a barely audible whisper at a very slow pace. Jesu employs a great deal of electronic treatments to the song, which give the song most of character and many of the melodic elements. Even during the noisier moments during the seventeen-minute plus track, "Sundown" maintains its laid-back nature and melody; it truly brings to mind elements of the shoegaze genre. The chugging guitars set the pace as the drums are relegated to a background role. The guitar melodies that are employed are very sweet sounding. It seems that Broadrick is really exploring his use of melody and counter-melody. His vocal arrangement is lower than what is found throughout Conqueror, but they are still very melodic. The arrangement of the music is very effective in bringing about a mood. "Sundown" closes with a very electronic pulse.
"Sunrise" is the equally laid-back companion piece on the record. Jesu utilizes the time to combine several melodies into a soothing experience that is new to their repertoire. The vocal arrangement is set back in the mix and is electronically treated to push it into a role of instrumentation rather than focus. There is a periodic electronic dance like drum pattern that is tempered by a lethargic sounding guitar. The effect is rather nice. This song is subtle and ends before you realize it is finished, or are ready for it to finish.
Sundown/Sunrise is a good record. It might be a bit short on material, but it is full of quality songwriting and experimentation in sound that makes you want to hear more. Ultimately, wanting more is a good thing for Jesu. With Conqueror, this record, and splits with Eluvium and Battle of Mice yet to come this year, there will be plenty of Jesu to find. I have yet to hear anything that I do not like from the group and this is no exception. The best part is that Sundown/Sunrise more than stands on its own and might stand out far above many records by other artists this year. If you do not own a record player, all you have to do is get a hold of the Japanese import of the CD version of Conqueror as these are included there as a second disc.
