Flying Nun EP megapost

A few weeks back I posted some JPS Experience EPs. I knew I had another EP hiding away somewhere.....and here it is: Breathe, featuring two tracks (Breathe, Block) from Bleeding Star, and 2 non-album tracks which are every bit as good.

JPS Experience - 1993 - Breathe EP
1. Breathe
2. Up In the Sky
3. Kickback
4. Block

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And here are the three Straitjacket Fits CD singles released from the excellent Blow album. First we have Done, featuring two non-album tracks, including the malevolent Whiteout, the highlight of their 1993 Big Day Out shows in Australia. The versions of Done and Spacing have different mixes than the album versions. IMHO Done is a bit lackluster compared to the raucous album version - but still worth a listen!

Straitjacket Fits - 1992 - Done
1. Done
2. Spacing
3. Solid
4. Whiteout

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Next up is Cat Inna Can, featuring two non-album tracks Sycamore and Satellite, the latter being an excellent cover of the Sex Pistols tune.

Straitjacket Fits - 1993 - Cat Inna Can
1. Cat Inna Can
2. Sycamore
3. Satellite

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Last but not least is If I Were You, featuring demos of two of the standout tracks from Blow, Brother's Keeper and Burn It Up. The album versions are pretty faithful to the demos, but the demos are worth a listen for the completist and/or obsessive!

Straitjacket Fits - 1993 - If I Were You
1. If I Were You
2. Brother's Keeper (demo)
3. Burn It Up (demo)

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JPS Experience - Precious & Into You EPs

Quick post for today. As promised previously, two JPS Experience EPs from the era of the Bleeding Star album, reviewed previously on this blog.

Precious (1992)
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Into You (1994)
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JPS experience - Bleeding Star

JPS experience, or to use their full (and rather pretensious) name, Jean Paul Sartre experience), were Flying Nun label-mates of fellow Kiwis Straightjacket Fits, whose Blow album was previously reviewed in this blog. Like The House of Love, JPS experience played sublime indie pop with a shoegazer influence.
Imagine an amiable sounding Luke Haines fronting JAMC (Jesus and Mary Chain) and you're in the right ballpark!

Bleeding Star was the band's fourth and final album. Opener Into you is sublime noisy atmospheric pop, with drawn out and dreamy vocals and great shoegazer guitars which give the song a similar feel to Bowie's Heroes. Ray of Shine is a lighter and poppier song which uses The House of Love approved tremolo guitar to great effect.

Spaceman is based around a (sampled?) shoegazer guitar hook which continues throughout most of the song. The stop-start bassline provides a subtle groove, and extra guitars pile in to provide added dynamics as appropriate.

Still can't be seen is subdued, based around clean guitar and vocals, with interesting atmospheric guitar effects and reverse tracked lead guitar. It has a early JAMC acoustic influence (e.g. Some Candy Talking), right down to the Jim Reid like vocal twang. Modus Vivendi continues the JAMC theme, with the shoegazer feedback guitar giving a feel similar to You trip me up

Bleeding star has a subtle groove, with whispered vocals, chiming guitars, and an uplifting chorus. Breathe is sparse and relaxed, with lolloping bass, reverberated vocals, and guitars drooping in and out.

Block features a doomy atmospheric intro, before settling into a slow subtle groove, driven by a Walk on the wild side influenced bassline which carries melody throughout verses, while the guitars provide a subdued atmospheric sound collage. Angel features subtle vocals and chiming arpeggiated guitar over radio conversation.

JPS experience - 1993 - Bleeding Star

1. Intro
2. Into You
3. Ray of Shine
4. I Believe in You
5. Spaceman
6. Still Can't Be Seen
7. Bleeding Star
8. Breathe
9. Modus Vivendi
10. Block
11. Angel

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