Jaysson And The Astronauts - Transcend Cool

Thursday 1st February 2001
Jaysson And The Astronauts - Transcend Cool

STYLE: Rock
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 14352-
LABEL: Independent
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Recorded in the same Glasgow studio where Wet Wet Wet recorded "Love Is All Around", Jaysson & The Astronauts debut three track single puts this Scottish band firmly on the map. It's an interesting mix of loud guitars, strong melodies and intriguing lyrics. The band's songs have undercurrents of faith lyrically rather than being straightahead ministry or evangelistic songs. "Transcend Cool" is vibey, medium paced indie rock with a message that will calm the heart of the most angst ridden teenager, as singer Timothy Knox encourages the listener to search deeper than the cultural/fashion stereotypes that indicate identity and self image. Knox has a habit of infiltrating the brain with one liners like "Even Einstein failed maths," or in the case of the catchy rock of "GM", my favourite lyric is "Serenity's not freedom from the storm/Serenity is peace among it." In this case the song powerfully yet simply unpacks issues of personal development and Knox observes that it's often in the painful things that we grow the most. All of this wrapped up in a wodge of crunchy guitar. Sandwiched in between these two songs is "B Side The C Side" with its clever play on words and understated jangly guitars building into a hooky chorus. All in all, this is a strong debut and I bet Jaysson & The Astronauts are even better live!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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