Andi Jackson – Sub Horror CS (Fr33zehead)

Andi Jackson is unquestionably the man with many talents and an impressive working routine. This English musician based in Manchester wastes no time when it comes to writing, composing, recording, and producing music. Besides his involvement in several groups such as Shuck, Lake Of Snakes & Our Man In The Bronze Age, Andi Jackson somehow manages to work on his solo recordings. What’s even more surprising, is the fact that all his bands are releasing new material during 2021 as well. This busy musician lives for music and art in general, and his passion is already well documented through his previous works. Since 2017, Andi Jackson released several recordings, such as Excerpts EP, The Catalyst LP, and a single called Antennas. Therefore, his latest material Sub Horror represents his second full-length recording.

Sub Horror carries ten profoundly detailed compositions that are expanding over several genres. It would be hard to categorize this material by pinpointing it to a singular genre due to the fact that each number differs from the previous one. The first thing that comes up to my mind is some sort of noise rock, but Andi decided to spice things up a little bit, so you won’t only hear regular noise maneuvers during these songs. Besides noise rock, you may notice some other ingredients like art rock, free jazz, jazz, krautrock, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, alternative rock, and ambient, and many other genres as well. Jackson solely relies upon repetitious, continuous, hypnotic segments and sequences, decorated by luxurious virtuosities. These virtuosities are mainly delivered by the brass and rhythm section, while the guitars are delivering pleasing harmonies, melodies, arpeggiated chord progressions, and other sonic delicacies.

Keyboards are mainly responsible for ear-appealing ambiances, but you may hear some virtuosities delivered by this instrument as well. You may also stumble upon some arpeggiated sequences, synthy progressions, and delightful accentuations throughout the album. Each involved musician has its purpose on this harmoniously polyphonic journey, and it’s nearly mindblowing how Andi Jackson compiled, composed, and arranged all these layers of sound into marvelously executed songs. There are a couple of more vocals involved besides Andi Jackson, and each one of them contributes even more flavor to the listening experience. Sub Horror will be right up your alley if you’re looking out for a thoroughly planned noise rock record performed with a lot of twists and turns. This material will be a special treat for those who’re into progressive jazzy noise rock with less noise and more virtuosities. Sub Horror is available on a limited cassette, which is available on the Bandcamp page. The album is also available on streaming services such as Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and YouTube.