Week 3 (Jan. 30, 2023)
Album: Jinx
Artist: Crumb
Release Date: June 14, 2019
Link to Purchase: https://crumbtheband.bandcamp.com/album/jinx
Favorite Tracks |
Ghostride |
Cracking |
Part III |
When I first heard Crumb's song "Bones" from their debut, self-titled EP in 2016, I knew that there was something special about them. Since first hearing them seven years ago, they have become an all-time favorite, a huge musical influence in my life, and a must-see live band any time I have the chance. There's not a single Crumb song I don't like - each one with its own perfect little environment while still contributing to the strong cohesiveness of each album.
Jinx is the first of their two full-length releases and comprises ten dreamy, neo-psychedelic tracks highlighting interesting harmony and gentle, memorable melodies. For me, this album evokes feelings of nostalgia and contemplation, but also feelings of warmth and comfort. I love the unique grooves in songs like "Nina" and "The Letter" that often morph and evolve throughout the song. There are so many great, subtle textural shifts in the arranging that keep me interested but are never jarring.
Lyrically, there are some standout moments on Jinx that are beautifully simplistic and incredibly relatable. "Cracking" opens the album with a sincere statement about the difficulty of keeping it together: "How you keep yourself from cracking, it's not easy. Need to practice night time/day, don't let it get the best of you girl." "Ghostride" heartbreakingly pleads, "Come on now, don't let this go, don't let my love fade away. People come and people go, but I stay." "Part III" laments, "I waste my time in the morning and evening, caught in the feeling...It's just a feeling, it's just a feeling, it's just a feeling," and my favorite line on the album is in "Faces" with the lovely statement, "All of my heroes are people I know." These lyrics are accompanied by exactly the right musical elements to make the listener feel completely immersed in the vibe and message of each song.
When I was first shown Crumb by my then roommate and bandmate, she noted how similar their sound was to our band, Specific Ocean (I remember we even contacted the small venue they were playing in town to see if we could open for them). Ever since then, Crumb has influenced me musically in more ways than I probably even realize. Both of my bands, Specific Ocean and Barbara, often get compared to Crumb by people hearing us for the first time and I've noticed that people running sound at venues we've played often put Crumb on as house music before or after our set. When I think about it, Lila Ramani's vocal delivery has definitely influenced the way I sing, and I tend to resonate with instrumentation and sonic textures that I heavily associate with Crumb.
It's fun to reflect on how much this band means to me. Crumb's music is interwoven with some of the most emotional, vulnerable, joyous, heartbreaking, exciting times of my life. I can't wait to hear what they create next. If you haven't given Jinx a listen-through, I hope you do, it's really worth the time.