Song: Victim of Circumstance

"I'm here as promised, if not as foreseen"

Executive summary: Jambay's version of a slow blues, I guess
Arrangement: electric
Lead vocal: Shelley
Wild card: perfectly smooth acceleration from a crawl to a gallop
Download mp3 or flac

Victim of Circumstance is an oddball even among Jambay songs, an extended, grueling tension and release exercise that builds in a long, smoldering burn from a plodding pulse to a blazing peak and then drops suddenly back. It seethes with emotion, sketched out in two minimalist verses of alienated desire. Like many of the best Jambay songs the match between the lyrics and music is amazingly apt, and so the whole is incredibly expressive without saying too much. I will follow this example tonight.

Song: Passion Play

"The problem with passion, it slips away
I guarantee you'll want it back someday "

Executive summary: ripping rocker with great lyrics.
Arrangement: electric
Lead vocal: Shelley
Wild card: the whole lyric, which is one of their best.
Download mp3 or flac

A song that came into rotation relatively late, as far as I can tell, Passion Play quickly established itself as a potent rocker and was often found in featured setlist slots (closers, encores) throughout the last year or so of the band's career. It's built on Mike's insistent, driving bass line, Shelley's intense delivery of the incredible lyric, and the full-band build and explosion towards the end.

With such a perfect match of words and music, I think Passion Play holds up as one of their very best songs.

"If you're sick and tired of all the compromise and all the lies behind
Count yourself a step ahead, at least you're not yet brain-dead"

Song: Mercury

"Bound to the infinity"

Executive summary: totally fucking bonkers composed masterpiece
Arrangement: electric
Lead vocal: Chris
Wild card: grindcore repeating section near the end
Download mp3 or flac


Mercury is a slippery, shifting maze of complex composition and raging rock shred. I think it's their best "progressive" style song, given the amazingly natural way all the constant change fits into a seamless whole. In fact, that idea of change seems lie at the heart of the concept behind the song: the music is always shifting, scattering, and flowing back together, like the element. The structure of the music itself is expressive and part of the meaning of the song. Imagine juggling liquid mercury, slowing and accelerating, twisting and turning as the element flows chaotically through your hands, droplets scattering from your fingertips...also, frequent exposure to Mercury can make you crazy, so the metaphor works on a couple levels. Which is always nice.

The lyrical section in the middle is played at a slower tempo with a slide lead that strongly contrasts with the frenetic nature of the rest of the song. The brief lyrics themselves seem to be a love story told in alchemical allegory.

Since it's so heavily composed, every version I've heard of Mercury sticks fairly close to the same template; but as with a lot of intricate Jambay songs, the improvisation is in the details of the interplay and runs much deeper than might be immediately obvious. Different versions vary in terms of tightness of execution, tempo ("fast" to "blazing") and the details of the various shreddy solos and duets scattered through the labyrinth of progressions. The edgy, dissonant repeating section near the end varies in length to a moderate degree. That part drives some people nuts, but I frakkin' love it.

If you listen to this badass motherfucker loud in the right mood and setting it might just fry your brain in the nicest possible way.

Song: Free Harmony

"Shockwaves from my landing echo far and wide"

Executive: sublime, heartfelt acoustic gem
Arrangement: acoustic
Lead vocal: Shelley
Wild card: Mike on mandolin
Download mp3 or flac

Since this little website is named after this song, I reckon I'd better make it the first song I review, right? It makes sense, too, because Free Harmony is one of those "statement of purpose" songs some bands have that encapsulates some their best qualities: in this case, an effortlessly flowing melody and arrangement, earnestly spiritual lyric, heartfelt performance, and Mike's elegant mandolin part.