EP Review: The Lickerish Quartet - Threesome, Vol 2

Last year, members of the band Jellyfish got together and recorded for the first time in almost thirty years. I was of the wrong age, nor did I listen to anything off the beaten path at the time, so I have no recollection of Jellyfish, other than hearing other people talking about how influential they were in certain circles. In fact, this is the second EP this reimagining has put out, which means I completely missed out on the first one. That goes to show how much of an impact Jellyfish had on my life.

But since the start of the year is a slow time, I have the chance to take on a release like this I otherwise wouldn't have time for. Is that a good thing?

"Do You Feel Better" kicks things off with a pulsing rhythm and plenty of Beatles-esque touches in the melodies. It's a perfectly lovely sounding track, except for the fact it doesn't have a strong enough hook. Some people might compare it to vanilla ice cream, but I like vanilla. This is more like a sno-cone before the syrup is poured on it. It does the job, but with no flair whatsoever. It lacks a moment that tells me what idea the musicians had they felt they needed to turn into this song.

"Sovereignty Blues" follows in much the same mold, but this time it's how far back the vocals are mixed that make the hook come across flat. Instead of sounding like a big, rousing moment, it sounds small and timid. That can't be what they were aiming for. I'm also not sure what the aim of "The Dream That Took Me Over" is, as the band moves into making essentially a dance song. It sounds so unlike either of the previous songs the move is jarring, and I can't speak on whether it's good dance music or not, but that's not a sound I wanted to hear.

The closing "Snollygoster Goon" is perhaps the best song of the four, since it has a bit more energy and hook to it, but even that one comes with its flaws. I like the moments where it sounds like the era of Fastball you would have possibly heard of, but the backing vocals are placed in a very odd way, leaving the song a bit unpleasant to listen to.

If this is what Jellyfish was all about, I see exactly why they are revered by musicians, and forgotten by everyone else. For people who are bored with doing things the normal way, their almost abstract songwriting is a lot of fun. For people who want to hear great songs, and don't care about breaking down norms, they're a bit much. I'm in that camp.