Japunga - SoulsConflicting

Tue 20th Dec, 2005 in Music Reviews

Japunga have gone through quite the transformation since their release of Light at Days End some two years ago. Their first album was a heavy dosage of hard rock, and their stand out single Never Again swept the band on to a plethora of support gigs around the country, including Slipknot, The Butterfly Effect, Shihad, 28 Days and Cog. Oh, and not to mention they got a vital spot on the JJJ essential stage at the Big Day Out. Their second album, Souls Conflicting, is a world away from that initial release – a major change for the Brisbane three-piece.

The first thing to note is that Jef Carter’s vocals have reached a melodic peak, turning his back on the heavy screaming that dominated their debut release. Whether this change of style pays off, I guess we will have to wait and see – it will have to battle Light at Days End’s 10 week run in the AIR top ten and national radio airplay.

But the big kicker, and this is a big one, is that Japunga have turned somewhat mainstream, ridiculing those who have supported them in the past. The new style of music, the lyrics and the slower riffs indicate to me one thing – sell out. Not that it will necessarily be a bad thing for them (Grinspoon did it, lost lots of fans but made more money) , but it will definitely disappoint their previous loyal followers.

It’s a shame too – the beginning of the opening track, Waiting, started the album off so well, and for a second there, this reviewer was excited pink about the prospect of a spectacular release. However, it doesn’t take long for the song to dwindle down into mediocrity, saved only by a few decent riffs here and there.

Go Alone is ridiculously mundane – is this even Japunga? A slow, uninspiring ballad that fortunately only goes for three minutes and thirty two seconds, and by the time A Hundred Years begins, you’re wondering if you care what the rest of the album has to offer.

The Theory of My Life also starts off in Japunga fashion, but fails to maintain it. Regrettably, the next song, the title song, Souls Conflicting has got to be one of the worst songs I’ve heard from a so-called ‘hard rock’ band I have heard in a long time. The Deftones and The Butterfly Effect have shown how to successfully write a slow song as a hard rock band – unfortunately though, Japunga missed the class. But the worst is still to come, Forever Doesn’t Take That Long (the next song) is exactly the same! What is a band that was once compared to Sepultura, singing a song with lyrics such as: “I cant face another day, I cant wait to hear you say, I’m missing you, I’m missing you…”  doing? I just can’t understand how they’ve got to this point.

Suddenly, their first single from the album, is better, fast-paced and features the heavy drumming that was so apparent in their original album. But still, nothing compared to some of their great stuff on Light at Days End, as it fails to deliver a solid conclusion or solo. This is Real is also a Japunga sounding tune – going back to their basics in this one – if only they had applied it to the rest of the album. I think they’ve gone through this sort of checklist:

Same-sounding songs – check.
Slow-pace – check.
Pussy lyrics – check.

I won’t even talk about the last two songs – all you have to do is read some earlier paragraphs and you’ll have an idea of the mediocrity that they have fallen into. And not only that, they sound so bloody similar, it’s just ridiculous.

I feel bad saying these things, but as someone who has seen them live, and also bought they’re first album, I feel a little ripped off. What I can do is hope it works out for them, because they are still an alternative Australian band and are out they’re trying to make a name for themselves. What I can’t do, is write and hide the fact that this album disappoints and belongs on your younger sister’s shelves.