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The Best I’ve Disappointed, the recent EP offering from Christian indie band Jordan’s Wake, is a lot like Crystal Light---there are times when nothing would be better than a cold glass of Country Time lemonade, but if you’re thirsty enough Crystal Light will do.  And so Jordan’s Wake offers a moody modern rock flavoring similar to Lifehouse or Incubus, but often appears to be imitating a certain sound instead of creating their own.

The Best I’ve Disappointed is the third release from the four-member band from Boston, and first since relocating to the Christian music scene in Nashville.  The band has gained a loyal following from the indie rock crowd for their brand of dark, art rock, which is quite evident on Disappointed.

 “Happy” is a sad irony that I found quite enjoyable. Lead singer and guitarist Luke Sheets mournful vocal delivery completely goes against the surface content of the lyrics, but works well overall.  Keyboardist Chad Morgan provides ample apparitions on the keys while Sheets, bassist Brandon McDonald and drummer Jason Hintz create a blues/rock sound that culminates in a cacophony of ghostly harmonies, singing “I’m so happy I could burst into a thousand pieces.”

“Walk Away” opens up the second half of the album sporting a great opening and some beautifully haunting vocals.  The lyrical depth and meaning is a bit suspect, but the band has covered the bases musically with crisp bass work, timely guitars and a vocal backing by Sheets that at times resembles that of Poor Old Lu’s lead singer Scott Hunter.

“Under Blue” is an enjoyable, moody tune that brings in a rare acoustic guitar at times for flavoring.  Sheets’ voice might be at his best here, bouncing back and forth nicely between falsetto and a growl and a few other styles in between.  The tune’s theme seems a tad evasive, but I still found it to be one of my favorites from the disc.

The obvious Crystal Light moments can be found on “California Sun,” which sounds a lot like the verses from Lifehouse’s “Breathing” and on “Come Around” where the band sounds like they tried too hard to write a rock opener. A lot of the album simply sounds like something I’ve heard before, though I can’t always place the sound.

Sheets’ baritone voice growls and groans through the eight-track EP, sounding something like a hybrid of Scott Stapp of Creed and Jason Wade of Lifehouse, though he leans more toward melancholy than the aforementioned vocalists. His medium range tends to sound monotonous, which can either add or take from the overall sound of the album, depending on your taste.

There is an obvious poetic quality to Jordan’s Wake’s lyrics; they cannot be blindly thrown into the ever-growing heap of bands that appear to be randomly picking lyrics to accompany their music.  However, the lyrical meaning never seems to be close enough to consistently grasp.  Part of what makes art is accurate expression and accessibility and I’m not sure Jordan’s Wake has spent enough time in developing these writing schemes.  Repetition is also a useful tool in the composing of poetry, but Jordan’s Wake wore me out more than once with reoccurring phrases.

I’m not trying to say that Jordan’s Wake is not talented or that they are a second-rate effort, because there is a lot to like on Disappointed, but often their music left that strange Crystal Light taste when I expected Country Time.  Still, they do a decent job of quenching the art rock thirst, and besides, some people prefer Crystal Light.

Matthew Williams 10/21/2001

Coming off of their debut Lip from 2001, Jordan's Wake has produced a second release, an EP of sorts that should garner the band some notice.

The musical style of Jordan's Wake is difficult to nail down. They are independent, but there are definitely some mainstream influences. The vocals of Luke Sheets are different than any recent bands that come to mind, providing a unique starting point for the band's sound. Basically on this album there is laid back, soulful rock and roll that should be accessible to many people.

Four of the tracks on The Best I've Disappointed are new to this album. The four songs at the end of the CD are new mixes of four of the best songs from Lip.

The brand new tracks are sometimes good and sometimes not so good. The lead off song "Come Around" sounds independent in production value and never truly puts its hook into the listener. The following "California Sun", however, does the trick. The group chorus quickly draws the listener's attention and gives the rest of the album a chance to prove its worth. All told, "Too Late to Forget" ends up being the best new song with its heartfelt lyrics and slow music that just sounds right. "Happy" is a bit cliché and easily lands in the "forgettable songs" list.

All of the re-released songs from Lip here are good, and even better than their original versions. "Walk Away" and "Perfect Better" are a bit more upbeat, while "Under Blue" and "Mouthful" hold the best chance of snagging the heartstrings.

The Best I've Disappointed shows that Jordan's Wake has some potential to work with. Hopefully their next release will be a full-length that cuts out the cliché, unneeded tracks. When that CD comes, the band should find a good fan base.

Trae Cadenhead 10/27/2002