Jabberwock- Sweet Limbo

Artist:  Jabberwock

CD Title: Sweet Limbo

Label: Black Rain

Reviewer: Robert Eaton

Date: 9/28/09

Jabberwock is a rock-oriented industrial from France. Their sound is similar to bands like Mankind Is Obsolete: at times melodic and dissident. Jabberwock’s “Sweet Limbo” is the band’s first full-length release for Germany’s Dark Rain label.  Some of the songs recall some of the great female fronted pop-rock acts of the 80’s, as well as punk and electro influences. The songs occasionally do well in capturing the intensity of Atari Teenage Riot, which is listed as an influence on the band’s site. More often, the songs bog down in somewhat familiar electronic rock and pop territory.

“Confusion,” the album’s opening track, begins with an unsettling riff on piano, and closes at a terse one-minute and two seconds.  It’s a phenomenal study of the pitfalls of modern existence. “Fake” is a claustrophobic meditation on the modern obsession with beauty. “Faster” is frenetic, with distorted vocals and an obvious nod to ATR. “Obsolete” falls back to safer electronic rock territory, where a fair number of the album’s tracks sit comfortably. The album seems to lose its way on a couple of those tracks.  

Overall, fans of electronic rock will probably find something to like in this album. At times melodic, and sometimes abrasive; this album showcases a strong pop sensibility with intelligent lyrics. Though the album isn’t totally consistent, the album show-cases some well-crafted songs. There are some really great songs on the album, which make a lot of the rest of the album seem like filler.

Check out the band: https://www.myspace.com/jabberwock