It’s always refreshing to see a local band express things in a medium outside of music, so I was more than a bit curious when I received a press release announcing that Jungol is actively working on creating and producing the band’s own film. Aside from its title, Go Softly, details on the project have been scant; all we know for certain is the project will be released in pieces rather than as a single complete whole, and that the soundtrack will contain music from the upcoming Jungol album, as well as music from guitarist Graham Yoder’s experimental electronic project, Dark Room, and the other members’ solo projects.
Posted yesterday to the band’s YouTube channel, “Other Life” is the first installment to be released from the film and, musically, it finds the band dropping their usual rock-prog theatrics in favor an avant pop and electronic-oriented sound that, not surprisingly, has a greater cinematic allure that perhaps we’ve grown accustomed to from the group. Overall, there’s less emphasis on melody and structure and more on style and texture. It’s a track that provides neither a stabilizing beginning nor an end, but instead hovers indeterminably, choosing to act more like a bridge or segue connecting two disparate parts. Whether or not Go Softly will signal a new musical direction for the band remains to be seen, but I’ll be very interested in hearing how the rest of this soundtrack plays out. In the meantime, check out the video (directed and edited by band frontman Josh Yoder)—a dark, creepy, bloody affair that provides some wonderfully haunting imagery while borrowing a page or two from the Tool video handbook.
More Info:
Web: www.jungol.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jungolband
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jungol
