Jerkcurb - Air Con Eden Review

RAINDROPS ON ROSES ON BODIES WITHOUT HEARTBEATS

To some, Air Con Eden was a long time coming. On Jerkcurb's YouTube channel, 'Midnight Snack' lays untouched with an original release date of October 13th, 2012. Seven years, and a slew of patience-testing singles, would elapse before the debut had officially arrived. That fortitude, that exhaustive pluck, that quest for perfection, can most certainly be felt across Air Con Eden's 53 minutes. There's a level of composure not seen during the social media era permeating its tranquil corridors, like sun-dried Surf Music lugged tiresomely into the night. I'm reminded of Steve Hiett's Down On The Road By The Beach, with its ossified frailty cascading endlessly against sloshing ocean waves. Tracks like 'Somerton Beach,' 'Midnight Snack,' and 'Water' ooze this vacationing slumber, as if feet dug so firmly into sandy shores witness day turn to night.

Here, Jerkcurb manages to escape such pretense when maudlin emotion boils, culminating in riveting climaxes such as 'Aquarena Springs,' 'Devils Catflap,' and 'Night On Earth.' This is Air Con Eden's magnificent trio, each original in approach yet unified in reaching the pinnacle. Apart from 'Shadowshow,' a worthy opener that presents Jerkcurb's aesthetic with dripping guitars and reverb-heavy siren calls, the middling portion of Air Con Eden presents hurdles for those impatient enough to cold-shoulder something that could be deemed Slowcore. 'Wishbones,' 'Morpheus' Arms,' and others move with lead feet, sapped of love whilst in the throes of passion. The final four-track run negates all those dire straits with reinvigorated desires. 'Aquarena Springs' is a stunning piece that flows with grace and grit, much akin to Bon Iver's '8.' Meanwhile, the noted 'Night On Earth' balances between reality and fantasy, as Jerkcurb invites listeners to prom night in the Twin Peaks universe. Weary 50's Doo-Wop gives way to sparkling, immaculately-produced and sung Dream Pop. A rousing capstone that evokes Air Con Eden's strong, weighted aesthetic.