Love Will Make Our Ears Bleed, Again: The Joy Formidable, “The Big Roar,” by Peter Raffington Dysart

Valentine’s Day has come and gone and good riddance. In what could be antithetical to modern analogs of Valentine’s Day, the Joy Formidable’s debut CD, “The Big Roar,” is a release of mammoth proportions, dark emotions, and impossibly gigantic and brilliant sounds. It’s an effort is replete with fatalistic ends and lyrics steeped in melancholic realms. But as the tragic story plays out, you sense an urgent but quiet desperation and a steely resolve to go on with the fight. Just to be sure, for the Joy Formidable, it’s a quiet desperation that’s played out in a triple-digit decibel assault.

“The Big Roar” is, in fact, a passionate effort of blood, sweat and years of development. Band mates Ritzy, Rydian and Matt have been deep in mid-craft, redefining and refining and their sound and songs both on tour and in the studio. For fans already familiar with The Formidable Joy (TJF), it should come as no surprise that the Welsh trio’s music isn’t a love affair of the disposable variety. In fact, everything about “The Big Roar” shows that its not just full of pretty rock tunes ready for mass consumption, but a deeper release worthy of repeated listening.

The opening track alone, “The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie,” is a 7 minute, 45 second rock manifesto that effortlessly slips between a heroine’s tragic and riveting story and a guitar-driven, undulating wall of sound. Mid-song, Ritz’s lyric cries out, “Can’t you see I’m good?” From this point on, there’s no turning back. The song’s intensity and tempo build minute-by-minute reaching it’s apogée before dissolving into chaos, pedal loops, and finally white noise. It’s an earnest mixture of refinement and genuine and unflinching raw power.

It’s quite unnecessary to describe this indie band other than to say they fucking rock. Their sound has been referred to as dream pop, shoegaze, art rock, epic grunge, even an iteration of neo-punk, and whilst these elements exist within their sound, none come close to accurately characterising it. I referred to TJF’s sound as a coronal mass ejection in my last review and it still fits. It’s as big, beautiful and magnetic as a pulsating solar flare. The closer you get, the more it pulls you into an experience of auditory radiation that burns even the most hearty.

Be forewarned, entering into this incredibly bright sonic realm requires serious hearing protection or at least a steady hand on the volume knob. TJF builds their lush and layered sound through the careful mix of angelic vocals, balanced harmonies, guitars, pedal effects, and drums, all nuanced by subtle synth textures that dramatically expand their sound to near symphonic realms. But make no mistake, this is music dominated by huge guitars, stomping rhythms, and a sound that’s unique to one band, the Joy Formidable — friend to desperate hearts and bleeding ears.

“The Big Roar” takes us on a rollercoaster that glides elegantly up the coaster tracks and then aggressively derails your senses on the down slope. Songs such as “The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie” and “I Don’t Want To See You Like This” explore beautifully crafted folk elements enveloped in sweeping sonic landscapes. On the opposite side of the rock spectrum, “The Magnifying Glass”, “Chapter 2”, “Heavy Abacus”, and the “Buoy” explode with ferocious layers of buzz saw guitar. It’s the kind of compositional range that hints at the depth of this trio’s songwriting abilities.

“Austere” and “Cradle” might be considered the CDs only pop songs, bouncing along and drawing you in to their pleasing pop sounds — that is until the chorus kicks in and singes the hairs in your auditory canal in a delightful way. Among other outstanding tracks are my favourites “Whirring” and “The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade,” both of which exhibit the trio’s signature sound.

The production values are impressive, isolating and revealing each instrument and voice in the mix from Rydian’s lyrical bass chops to Ritz’s mature and urgent vocal delivery to Matt’s stomping and driving rhythms that dominate this release. And everywhere the power of Ritz’s guitar is unleashed.

This release is laced with odd and wonderfully placed sound effects from popping microwave popcorn and maniacal laughing to typewriters, electronic loops and white noise. Fittingly, “Austere” even ends with the distant roar of a big cat. But the true beauty of this band is what you find when you strip away the electrical elements from many of their songs and simply watch and listen to them perform their craft acoustically. Underneath it all you’ll find a beautiful mixture of folk and rock elements that echo from a Welsh countryside.

This isn’t simply a great debut album for The Joy Formidable; “The Big Roar” is nothing less than a triumph for modern rock that will keep you listening to it for years to come. Fluctuat nec mergitur.

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Author’s note: Beware the Ides of March — “The Big Roar” releases in the US on March 15 and will be supported by a lengthy 30 show tour starting with multiple shows during SXSW.

Previously on East Portland Blog:

The Joy Formidable — Greyhounds in the Slips, by Peter Dysart