Jem

Editor's Review:

The gentle pinging of a triangle and the “bop baahhh-dum” of layered vocals, reminiscent of a choir, that commence Finally Woken’s first track, sound like Christmas. Ah, the surprise of presents! When the sped up trip-hop beat begins, I wait for little elves to come marching about; sadly, they do not. And so it goes with Jem’s album: pleasant surprise tempered with slight disappointment. Noelesque chimes begin, “Come On Closer,” only to be jolted during the chorus by a distorted electric guitar playing the part of the cheesy nü-metal Grinch. When the trip-hop influence is suspended in favor of reggae on “Save Me,” I find myself looking for a dreadlocked elf smoking a spliff. The urgent strings on “24” segue into a pulsing guitar that serves to juxtapose Jem’s serenely breathy vocals, the album’s true gift.
- Connell Burton McDaniel
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Record Label ATO Records Released April 2004

Tracks They Come On Closer Finally Woken Save Me 24 Missing You Wish I Just A Ride Falling For You Stay Now Flying High