Three years ago I named the cover for Jihae’s Elvis is Alive as the strangest album artwork of 2008. Curiously, I heard very little of the New York songstress since Elvis, which was her sophomore release. That is until Fire Burning Rain came across my desk.
“Jihae?” I said aloud as I held the album, adorned with a painting of the singer’s face and her name spelled out in tall font. I wasn’t sure I recalled who exactly Jihae was. As I searched through my library of music to refresh my memory, the image suddenly came to mind; a photograph of Jihae herself, sporting an Elvis haircut, a purple collared shirt, blue jeans and a garish American flag belt buckle. Oh yes, I remember Jihae. Her sublime vocals and interesting song arrangements were secondary thoughts, flooding my mind long after the image did. As I inserted her newest album into my computer I wasn’t sure why it had been over two years since my last run in with Jihae. She is certainly a talented and interesting musician.
Fire Burning Rain is Jihae’s (pronounced “Jee-heh”) third album. Apart from visual images, the first impression that Jihae makes is her distinctive voice. Sultry and commanding, she allows her intoxicating vocal to fill in every crack of the music that shimmers behind her. On this particular album, Jihae’s vocals perfectly match the damp and atmospheric feel that Fire Burning Rain so adeptly purveys. And while the atmosphere from time to time buries the album beneath an almost overly disparaging electronic wave, the earthy guitars suddenly return to match the crisp synth that almost drives the disc’s sound into too much of an otherworldly place. It’s also Jihae’s vocals, as angelic as they are at times, that utilizes a whiskey rough quality and keeps the album from floating into the clouds and becoming a bit too Bjork like.
The album begins with the introductory track, “Eyes Open Wide,” a slow burner of a song that relies on soft synth, a drum machine and an occasional piano. Though the music sets a perfect tempo, it’s Jihae’s distinct and understated vocal performance that steals the show. One of the most interesting songs on the album is the spoken word track “The Succubs,” which allows Jihae to produce spoken word poetry over the top of a steady bassline and a sporadic keyboard. It’s certainly reminiscent of some of David Byrne’s interesting spoken word sections while with the Talking Heads. It’s also one of the most endearing tracks on the album; deciphering her exotic poetry among the interesting sounds is certainly rewarding.
Some point between “The Succubs” and the seventh track on the album, Fire Burning Rain becomes a bit repetitive. Sure Jihae instills the stimulating atmosphere that she was aiming for, but the weary and gritty feel gets a bit tedious. Luckily Jihae inserts a heavenly instrumental track on Fire before it fades out three tracks later. “Electric Pigeon” is an electronic gem that allows Jihae to take control of a song without ever actually speaking a word. While the bleeps and bloops of the synth take center stage, Jihae allows her voice to become an instrument itself, even in backup duty. Her airy vocal transcends the track into another realm. You soon become so hypnotized by the angelic voices that fill the song that you tend to lose focus on the electronic sounds that the composition is focused around. Once “Electric Pigeon” comes to its inevitable end, you snap back into reality as the electric guitar ballad “By The Sea” brings you back to earth. Still the interruption that the instrumental track provides is a welcome diversion and helps to better round out what was already a pretty sensational voyage. Though Jihae isn’t necessarily breaking new ground with her electronic flavored pop music, her distinct vocal ability and the capability to craft an album full of like-themed atmospheric gems should put her front and center on the indie music radar. Hopefully though, we can get a little stranger cover artwork on future releases.
"Fire Burning Rain" is on sale September 7, 2010 from Septem.
