Hailing from the warm shores of California, five-piece band The Gromble grew up playing together in various bands and have established the kind of rare synchronicity that has helped them carve out their own idiosyncratic niche: a charming blend of orchestral alt-folk and indie rock, honed live supporting such acts as The Lemonheads...

Jayus is The Gromble's new album. Containing 14 songs (51 min, 45 sec) this LP has more shifts in style than you'll be expecting. It opens with 'Overture', a truly beautiful fusion of electronic and classical genres. In many ways it reminded me of Olivier Deriviere's soundtrack for the console game Remember Me. There's also a bizarre piano piece, 'Nyc Frog Interlude' which is played on a piano that needs a little care and attention, but the end result is quite beautiful, if a little odd.

For me, the second half of the album provided the most memorable songs. Highlights include 'Slam'; 'Again'; 'Creepy Jr.'; 'Jane' (which has elements of Katy Perry's 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)'); and 'You Don't Know' (which brought to mind Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine's 1992 cover of 'The Impossible Dream').

I've been listening to this album for quite some time now... almost non stop. And I can't get enough of it. Each time I hear it I find something else to love about it, although the highlights mentioned previously are by far the strongest tracks there's not a bad track on here.

10

Nick Smithson