Review: Jamie’s Elsewhere – Rebel-Revive
Artist: Jamie’s Elsewhere
Album: Rebel-Revive
Rating: 10/10
Sacramento’s Jamie’s Elsewhere are a band that has never ceased to amaze. They’ve put out 2 EPs and 2 full-length albums, but their 3rd was something no one would expect. After the departure of former vocalist Aaron Pauley, the future of the band seemed pretty uncertain. However, Justin Kyle has stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park! With a background in R&B music, as well as metalcore, the diversity on their new album, Rebel-Revive is quite apparent from the beginning. Completely crowd-funded, Rebel-Revive had quite a few fans on the skeptical side after the release of the lead single, “Sick Fiction” on October 8th, 2013. That skepticism didn’t seem to be helped by the next single, “The Illusionist” which featured GA native (and ISSUES vocalist) Tyler Carter. Many began calling them “another generic metalcore band”, with the venom ever-growing as anticipation built up. No one was prepared for what the rest of the album held, though.
Released on April 8th, 2014, Rebel-Revive will restore your faith in post-hardcore. While they seemed to get a lot of hate, “Sick Fiction” and “The Illusionist” seem to be fan favorites by this point. The album features several guest musicians: DEV, Tyler Carter, Phil Druyor and Nick Sampson (I Am Abomination), and Garret Rapp (The Color Morale). For me to say that this release is impressive is a major understatement. Vocalist Justin Kyle’s lyrical prowess knows no bounds. There is no doubt in my mind that fans will connect with this album on a personal, as well as a musical level! As far as lyrical content goes, rather than going off of a concept or theme for the album, Justin has chosen to write about his life experiences, as well as including his relationship with God.
For example: “Backstabber” is pretty obvious by the title, but is about someone who turned their back on him. Another hard-hitting track is “Capital Vices (feat. Phil Druyor and Nick Sampson)”, a track about struggling with substance abuse. I know (and have been victim of) this horrible problem, just know that there is always help out there! Whether it be through someone close or professionally…there’s always a healthy way out. One of my favorite tracks is “Empty Eyes” which features Garret Rapp of The Color Morale. Lyrically, this song is about blindly following someone/something (in this case, it seems to be more in the direction of “Sick Fiction” where Justin calls out those who are insincere about their art). Garret’s part has given me chills from the very first time I heard it… it’s so beautifully done. “In Depth Perception” which features female artist DEV. Lyrically, this song is about Justin’s father… I remember him telling me the story… knowing how personal this story is to him has always caused this track to bring me to tears. “Since I can remember, I was always one to blame for the loss of his honor. He held my mother’s name in vain, I will always remember (but you can’t remember cause you’re just a boy, placing blame upon himself”… these are the lyrics that hit home hardest. If you’ve ever lost a parent or a loved one (we all have), there are times that you will blame yourself, regardless of if you know that it’s not your fault or not. For those of you who have done this, this song will easily bring tears to your eyes. The album ends with an incredible song that Justin wrote to his son, “Sleepless Nights”. It tells lyrically how his father was never there for him and how he vows to be the father that his father never was. It’s a really hard-hitting track about life on the road, I’ve spoken to Justin several times and I can tell you that “And I’ve been missing you, I’m not dismissing you. You’re the most important part of me and I hope that one day you will see why father had to leave” could not ring any truer than it does through these words. His son is his life and he’s not afraid to show it… I think it’s amazing that he included a track like this and it shows another, more vulnerable side of him that artists are too afraid to show these days. I definitely recommend it as a first listen, if you want a go-to track!
Rebel-Revive is so much more than anyone could have ever expected. It’s one hell of a front-runner for my album of the year for 2014 (and it’s going to take one SPECTACULAR album to change that). What’s more is that fans like you and I are the ones who helped create this masterpiece! Be sure to pick up your copy today and discover the new and improved Jamie’s Elsewhere! They will be playing their CD Release show on April 12th in Sacramento, CA at The Assembly where they will be filming a music video for “Sleepless Nights”, the final track from the album! Be sure to get out and show them your love!
Exclusive Album Stream (Substream Magazine)
Buy Rebel-Revive:
iTunes
StoreFrontier
“Sick Fiction” (Official Lyric Video via BVTV Band of the Week)
“The Illusionist (feat. Tyler Carter)” (Official Audio Stream)
