How Are We Doing And Who Will Tell Us?

Jack O' The Clock
Self-Release
General | Feb 2011

Reviews

MC Dizzy Jackson
Reviewed 2011-03-25
Five-piece band out of Oakland. Lots of stuff going on including jazz, rock, folk, experimental, avant-garde. Instrumentation includes guitar, bass, drums, bassoon, violin, marimba, dulcimer, etc. Lots of influences like Jethro Tull, Yes, Seals And Crofts, lots of ’70’s stylings. Adventurous and fun, Jack O’ The Clock will surely delight. FCC’s on #3 an #9 (play the radio-edit disc accompanying).

*My Favorites*: 1, 6, 7, 9. 12.

1. *(9:06) Slow / Mid. Marimba madness, ominous, spacey, trippy. Foreboding lyrics. Then with 4:56 remaining horns ablaze and full-on avant-garde jazz phrase. Cool phrase of male / female vocal chants with orchestral sounds in the background.
2. (5:40) Slow / Mid. Slow, quiet start. Banging on pots and pans, killer bassoon, dulcimer. Far-out. Story-song.
3. (5:48) FCC (play the radio-edit disc accompanying) Slow. Violin, vibes. Mellow. Brushes on drums. Seals And Crofts vibe.
4. (1:13) Mid. Ethereal, spacey, moody INSTRUMENTAL.
5. (10:00) Mid. Jazzy, improv intro. Bluesy phrase with electric guitar. Jamming. Mashup of different genres. Flutes a la Jethro Tull. No lyrics until 5:55 remaining. Guitar solo. With 3:15 remaining, song appears to end and another begins.
6. *(2:39) Mid. Carnival time, with accordion, flute, piano ending. INSTRUMENTAL (except for some voices at the end).
7. *(6;07) Slow / Mid. Banjo intro. Playful yet ominous. Song picks up tempo as it progresses. Long fade out. Very accessible, the least ‘experimental’ song on the album (as is #12).
8. (3;51) Slow. Minor key piano. Heavy, ominous song. Piano, dulcimer and voice. Vocal effects phrase. Long fade out.
9. *(7:46) FCC (play the radio-edit disc accompanying). Mid. Some funny stuff. ‘You’ve got snot all down your face - get out of mine’. Jazzy, driving and upbeat. Really cool jamming stuff. Coda with 0:55 remaining.
10. (2:11) Slow / Mid. Hollow and sparse, spacey. Echoey vocals. Nice piano. Ominous, minor key.
11. (4:17) Slow. Trippy, lots of strings with piano, bassoon. even an accordion. Spoken vocals. Foreboding.
12. *(7:14) Mid. Playful and dangerous. Starts off with ‘bring me a knife. And bring me a wet stone’. Banjo and glockenspiel predominate. Beautiful.

Recent airplay

Ultima Thule
The Songsmith ShowApr 19, 2013
Schlitzie, Last Of The Aztecs, Lodges An Objection In The Order Of Things
The Mongrel's StoopOct 21, 2012
Ultima Thule
lost and foundMay 01, 2011
Back To The Swamp
The Songsmith ShowApr 22, 2011
Blue Tail Fly
Your AlibiApr 18, 2011
Blue Tail Fly
The Songsmith ShowApr 15, 2011

Charting

2011-04-03 — 2011-06-05
Week EndingAirplays
May 8 1
Apr 24 2
Apr 17 1
Apr 10 2

Track listing

1. Blue Tail Fly
2. Schlitzie, Last Of The Aztecs, Lodges An Objection In The Order Of Things
3. Shrinking
4. Deepwater Horizon Burning
5. First Of The Year
6. Manifesto
7. Back To The Swamp
8. Looking In
9. Last Of The Blue Bloods
10. Search
11. Novaya Zemlya
12. Ultima Thule