Ten In The Swear Jar - Accordion Solo!

Ten In The Swear Jar - Accordion Solo! / 2005 Asian Man / 22 Tracks / http://www.asianmanrecords.com / Reviewed 07 September 2005

Xiu Xiu's “La Foret” was not too tremendously exciting of an album but from the beginning, 10 In The Swear Jar (a Xiu Xiu predecessor band) really comes forth with a diverse array of genres and sounds on their "Acoordion Solo!". Tracks like "San Jose Fight Song" use the synthesizer, albeit cranked up a tad on a distortion present on many of an eighties' album (think The Cure and Peter Gabriel) along with a very contemporary sound (made all the more impressive considering that XITSJ has been defunct for half a decade. Tracks like "I Don't Play The Drumz" really give the disc an artificial sound, using highly-distorted and sequenced instrumentation to make something compelling as a comparable organic act.

There is no overarching theme achieved by “Accordion Solo!”, but one has to give the band credit for successfully broaching a number of genres, all successfully. “Famine” is a perfect cross-section, a miniature version of the band as a whole. While the accordion might be a seldom-heard instrument in most musical circles (save for polka), XITSJ are able to tie it in flawlessly to a track that simultaneously calls forth the post-grunge era of hard rock and NIN-ish industrial music. In what is a truly inspired move, “I Love The Valley” unites emo music with a synth and accordion, instruments that take the traditional role of the guitar to dizzying new heights. “Sita Deth” really is a victory for Ten In The Swear Jar, as the density of the track follows up on the emotive vocals of past tracks but really allows for a smorgasboard of sound to assault listeners without necessarily being too cluttered.

The atmospheric aspect of the band really comes into play with “House Quake II”, a track that has a mental breakdown (demarcated by the cracking vocals which go silent halfway through, only to be replaced with arrangements that are full of longing. The multiple-vocals present in this track ebb and flow, fighting with the drum-laden arrangements for dominance in what truly is an all-encompassing track. For those fans of Xiu Xiu or even those that remember XITSJ, as this CD does collect quite a few tracks that never made it into any form of media. I really want to hear IBOPA now, especially considering how strong of an discography (in a sense) Asian Man has released. Perhaps Asian Man might talk to Jamie to release some more of these materials for a fan base that seems to grow larger with each and every passing day.

Top Tracks: I Love The Valley (Live), Sita Deth

Rating: 7.6/10