The Jaguar Club – Ceci N’est Pas Le Club De Jaguar / 2007 Self / 6 Tracks / http://www.jaguarclubofnyc.net /
Judging from the band’s web site title, there are more than one jaguar clubs in existence in the world. Anyways, this New York City band starts out “Ceci N’est†with a very angular type of rock. The disc’s first track, “Beat of My Heartâ€, takes a lot from the eighties style perfected by “Kiss Meâ€-era The Cure. The vocals come forth with a much more disaffected, Joy Division or Lou Reed-type of sound. Thus, while not completely innovative at this early juncture, The Jaguar Club are able to come forth with a catchy introduction to this album. The second track, “The Sirensâ€, continues with the retrospective look back at the eighties.
The thing that stands out the most during these early track is The Jaguar Club’s ability to come forth with a track that could even rival the work of a Killers or Editors in the contemporary period. The instrumentation and arrangement of that instrumentation is what shines the brightest on “Ceci N’estâ€; the vocals, while solid, definitely take a back seat to the smart instrumentation on this EP. Of particular note on “Ceci N’est†has to be the opening strains of “World Gone Byâ€. The intensity of this opening sputters out when the vocals kick in, but the magic crafted by the band up that point is simply amazing. The band can further tighten up their sound, and I would expect that this would be a necessary and sufficient condition for the band, lest they never break free of an average sound. I hope to hear the band take the next step forward on their sequel to “Ceci N’est Pas Le Club De Jaguarâ€; they have the talent to do so, so hopefully that happens.
Top Track: World Gone By
Rating: 5.9/10