Associated with many excellent Brisbane bands such as Blonde Tongues and Babaganouj (all covered by Backseat Mafia in the past), guitarist Jack Gleeson has just released an awesome EP, ‘Animal Cafe’, under the name Jack Spider.
There is a messy, shambolic and wild nature to the five songs, culminating in the epic ‘Cupid Sound’. I am reminded to some extent of the innovative, creative and unpredictable nature of artists like Beck and The Brian Jonestown Massacre – sixties-flavoured vignettes of life with a cool and louche approach.
The title song, for example, is a Serge Gainsbourg-flavoured ditty with Jane Birkin/Bridget Bardot vocals. It’s all Gauloise, berets, stripy t-shirts and bags of onions on the handlebars of bicycles. Indeed, ‘France’ seems to continue the theme but in a more brutal, driving sound showcasing Jack Spider’s wild fuzzy guitars over more of an Arctic Monkey-type sneer.
Apparently written over a couple of years, this is a very audacious and brilliant release that reveals the hitherto hidden talents of Jack Spider. Have a listen here:
