With Pale Sketches Justin Broadrick has not released a regular album, although I wouldn’t have wondered at all, reminding the three other releases earlier this year and the contemporaneous released EP Lifeline. No, Pale Sketches is a compilation of to date unreleased songs from the entire JESU history (2000-2007) that have not found its way on one of the regular records. Why not? I have no clue, since these songs are flawless and don’t differ that much from the other material… except for Lifeline, which is much Shoegaze-influenced.
The songs on Pale Sketches are - as known from JESU - a bit harsher, more drone-like, rooted anywhere in Trip and Post Rock fields, and again with Broadrick’s distinctive guitar play and his melancholically beautiful singing that excellently suit the mood in his music.
Every song on Pale Sketches touches and captivates, makes it hard to write down something useful, since I always drift away, be deep in thoughts somewhere else, no matter how often I listen to Pale Sketches. That’s actually a phenomenon that happens with every JESU record ;)
Already opening track Don’t Dream It downright mesmerizes. It goes minimalist, owns just one catchy hook and one lyric line that gets Mantra-like sung. This kind of stylistic mean Broadrick loves to use and he does it always again, as on Can I Go Now and Supple Hope for example. Wash It All Away, Tiny Universe and Dummy are pure instrumentals, whereas latter one and Supple Hope mark the highlights on this record. But no matter if with or without singing, the soundscapes and atmosphere woven around the minimalist instrumentation is as dense and intensive as possible, and despite of their experimental approach songs always run harmonious, even on this compilation.
Pale Sketches is a wonderful addition to the JESU catalog!