Jenny XII and the exuberant melancholia of "The Rarest Thing"

 

"it's the three of us on the road / the rarest thing..."


The shape shifting intricacies, exuberant melancholia of "The Rarest Thing" by Denver Colorado based indie rock three piece Jenny XII (comprising brothers Dylan (vocals, guitar) and Zack (drums) and their close friend Brian (bass, backing vocals, guitar, synths) is one of those runaways songs. The kind of track that feels wistful in it's sonic imagery, that sounds sad but hopeful, that is steeped in the vagaries of youth and any amount of self actualized wisdom that can be squeezed out of those tumultuous times. I am digging the tightly wound nature of the musicality here, that you notice mostly in the spaces between the vocal melodies. Somehow the jammy aesthetic manages to feel airy and free at the same time, an artistic feat that many jam bands mess up. The weight of artistic inertia and serving the song narratively, emotionally, is tricky sometimes but it feels perfectly balanced here. It helps that the refrain feels so elegant and poetic. It cuts in different ways. I mean does one equate one attribute to the other? Is 'fools' framed as a positive word? I think so, I hope so.      

We’re only fools, fools, fools
We’re only dreamers
We’re only fools, fools, fools
We’re only dreamers

At 3:30 in, the aforementioned musicality digs deep with amped up bass runs and instruments squaring off or dancing with each other (loving the drumming) resulting in the outro feeling like a wistful run into the unknown. While this could change tomorrow, right now I am thinking of an amalgam of artists like Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, Pond mostly in terms of those artistic intangibles. 

LINER NOTES (bracketed):

[The Jenny XII sound was honed in their self-titled debut album (slated for release in February 2024) through rigorous self-production and recording, mixing by album auteur Kevin Ratterman (Strand of Oaks, My Morning Jacket, Andrew Bird, Ray LaMontagne) and peerless mastering by Joe Lambert (Sharon Van Etten, The National, Local Natives, TOLEDO).]

Here's to fools and dreamers. 

-Robb Donker Curtius

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1wcJZUZfBhIxqE6SUpak5z

https://www.youtube.com/@JennyXII/featured

https://jennyxii.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/jennyxiiband/


Jenny XII is an indie rock / experimental band based in Denver, CO comprising brothers Dylan (vocals, guitar) and Zack (drums) and their close friend Brian (bass, backing vocals, guitar, synths).

The Jenny XII sound was honed in their self-titled debut album (slated for release in February 2024) through rigorous self-production and recording, mixing by album auteur Kevin Ratterman (Strand of Oaks, My Morning Jacket, Andrew Bird, Ray LaMontagne) and peerless mastering by Joe Lambert (Sharon Van Etten, The National, Local Natives, TOLEDO).

When Jenny XII came together as a trio, their music came-to like it had been only sleeping for a little while. The trio moves confidently through their debut album, witnessing triumphs in shimmering jubilation and evoking lived crises with pensive refinement. The meaning of this record is folded into thoughtful compositions; stratified and aglow with thermals of eccentric guitars rising from their drummer’s steady rhythms which are audibly composed with a mind to carrying burdens; lyrical bass lines converse with celestial vocals and synths.

Their first single, "Open Up to Me", from their self-titled album was released on November 3rd, 2023.

Jenny XII, indie rock, alt pop, post punk, experimental music, debut album "The Jenny XII", effervescent sadness, melancholy pop, "The Rarest Thing",Denver Colorado,