Jodis is finally making its way onto stereos after a bit of a wait since the group announced its existence. Jodis is a three piece outfit consisting of James Plotkin (Khanate, Khlyst, Atomsmasher, The Lotus Eaters, House of Low Culture), his former compatriot in Khanate Tim Wyskida, and Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom, House of Low Culture, The Lotus Eaters, Mamiffer). Considering the other musical projects of its collective members, the possibilities of just what Jodis can sound like are fairly wide ranging from some of the heaviest and darkest music created to light and hypnotizing compositions that subtly engross the listener. Secret House is the name of their debut record and it clocks in with seven tracks (the vinyl version and Japanese import version contain an extra track) and runs around fifty minutes of stimulation for a listener's ears.
The hypnotic droning bass and subtle percussion that open Secret House with the song "Ascent" signal that this album would not be about bludgeoning listeners with sheer brute force but rather with layered sound textures and mesmerizing compositions. The vocals (used more as another instrument to add more layers to the aural experience rather than a focal point) on Secret House sound like a chorale motif (at times sounding like Gregorian Chants like in "Ascent" or just multiple vocal parts as in "Continents") in certain tracks while in others the vocals are brutish (see parts of the title-track). Reverb and echo dominate the overall sonic texture of the album, and Wyskida's drumming never simply keeps the beat, but instead it compliments the compositions and brings additional flourishes to the table around musical phrase endings or beginnings (depending on the track). The guitar seems as though it is used not as it usually is as a driving force in a pop song, but instead, the guitars on Secret House seem as though they are wielded like a precision surgical instrument used to cut through the thick aural tapestry to further add color to the sonic palette that Jodis wields.
Jodis proves to be a formidable trio that offer an excellent example of an album that mainly deals in sonic textures rather than traditional song structures weaving an impressive tapestry of sound that has the ability to mesmerize and entrance listeners. One of the more remarkable aspects of Secret House is the breadth of the vocal performances on the album; one minute they can be multi layered ("Ascent", "Little Beast") and beautiful while the next they can be coarse and ugly ("Secret House") and then the next mellow and almost meditative in their tone ("Follow The Dogs"), and while Turner's voice is never really the center of attention, it is still completely noteworthy. The three members of Jodis seem intent on never repeating themselves, and with Secret House the trio succeeds in creating something new. This album is another notch in the impressive discography of all three members and should not be ignored.
