Jesu / Battle of Mice

Last updated
Jesu / Battle of Mice
Jesu - Battle of Mice (2008).jpeg
EP by Jesu and Battle of Mice
Released August 4, 2008
Genre Post-metal
Length30:05
Label Robotic Empire
Producer Justin Broadrick, Joel Hamilton
Jesu chronology
Envy / Jesu
(2008)
Jesu / Battle of Mice
(2008)
Why Are We Not Perfect?
(2008)
Battle of Mice chronology
A Day of Nights
(2006)
Jesu / Battle of Mice
(2008)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Scene Point BlankStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Teeth of the Divinefavorable [2]

Jesu / Battle of Mice is a split EP between British post-rock band Jesu and American post-metal super group Battle of Mice. It was released through Robotic Empire on August 4, 2008. [3] The Jesu tracks were recorded and produced by Justin Broadrick while the Battle of Mice tracks were produced by guitarist Joel Hamilton. The album was mastered by Nick Zampiello. [4]

Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock guitars and drums with electronic instruments. The genre emerged within the indie and underground music scene of the 1980s and early 1990s. However, due to its abandonment of rock conventions, it often bears little resemblance musically to contemporary indie rock, borrowing instead from diverse sources including ambient music, jazz, and minimalist classical. The individual styles of bands that have been described as post-rock differ widely, making the term controversial among listeners and artists alike.

Jesu (band) British post-metal band

Jesu is a British experimental band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the 2002 breakup of his band Godflesh. It is named after the last song on Hymns, the final album of Godflesh's initial run. Jesu's sound is heavily layered and textured, incorporating a diverse mix of influences. Broadrick himself has stated that "...it's very loosely speaking pop/rock/metal/electronica ... I'm intentionally writing what I consider to be coherent "pop" songs".

Post-metal is a style of music that is rooted in heavy metal but explores approaches beyond the genre's conventions. It emerged in the 1990s through the work of bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. Associated with and inspired by post-rock and post-hardcore, the genre employs the darkness and intensity of extreme metal but emphasizes atmosphere, emotion, and even "revelation", drawing on a wide range of sources including ambient, noise, psychedelic, progressive, and classical music to develop an expansive but introspective sound. Post-metal songs are typically long, with loose and layered structures that discard the verse–chorus form in favor of crescendos and repeating themes. The sound centres on guitars and drums; any vocals are usually screamed or growled and resemble an additional instrument.

Contents

Track listing

”Clear Stream”, “Falling from Grace” by Jesu. “The Bishop”, “Yellow and Black” by Battle of Mice.

No.TitleLength
1."Clear Stream"8:08
2."Falling from Grace"7:22
3."The Bishop"6:51
4."Yellow and Black"7:44
Total length:30:05

Personnel

Jesu
Battle of Mice
Production

Related Research Articles

<i>Jesu</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Jesu

Jesu is the first full-length album by British experimental music band Jesu, released through Hydra Head Records on 8 December 2004. Unlike the Heart Ache EP, where Justin Broadrick executed all instrumentation himself, this release features Ted Parsons on drums, Diarmuid Dalton on bass, and a guest appearance by Paul Neville on guitar on the track "Man/Woman". The album was released in Japan by Daymare Recordings and contains two additional instrumental remixes on a bonus disc. In February 2005, a double vinyl picture disc set was released by Hydra Head, limited to 1000 copies. The picture disc pressing contains an alternate, cleaner mix than the CD or standard LP editions.

<i>Heart Ache</i> 2004 EP by Jesu

The Heart Ache EP is the first release by Jesu. Justin Broadrick wrote both tracks, played all of the instruments as well as mixed and produced the EP. It was originally released on 30 August 2004 by Dry Run Records; Avalanche Recordings released a 12" vinyl version in January 2008 also. The vinyl version is limited to 1500 copies.

Justin Broadrick Record producer, musician, singer

Justin Karl Michael Broadrick is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist and drummer. He is best known as a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and industrial music. He was briefly in the English grindcore band Napalm Death when he was a teenager in the mid-1980s, writing and recording guitar for Side One of Napalm Death's debut album, Scum. Broadrick has also maintained a parallel career as a producer, producing records and remixes for groups such as Pantera, Isis, Mogwai and Hydra Head labelmates Pelican. Since 2012, he has been releasing hard techno music under the solo moniker JK Flesh. Broadrick has set up record labels such as HeadDirt, Avalanche Recordings, Post Mortem Productions, Lo Fibre and Heartache.

<i>Selfless</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Godflesh

Selfless is the third studio album by British industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 26 September 1994 in Europe and on 18 October 1994 through Earache and Columbia Records. Being the band's major-label debut, the record features a more conventional and rock-oriented sound compared to Godflesh's previous releases. It spawned two singles, "Xnoybis" and "Crush My Soul". The music video for the latter was directed by photographer Andres Serrano.

<i>Silver</i> (Jesu EP) 2006 EP by Jesu

Silver is the second EP by Jesu, their third release overall, released by Hydra Head Records on 11 April 2006. This album shows a more melodic and poppy side to the band than the previous two Jesu releases, drawing comparisons to shoegazing bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride. Pitchfork Media placed the title track at #488 on their "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s" list. Decibel ranked it the 6th best release of 2006 and the 26th best release of the decade.

<i>March into the Sea</i> 2005 EP by Pelican

March into the Sea is the second EP by Chicago-based instrumental metal band Pelican, released in 2005 by Hydra Head Records. The title track is the original version of the shortened song "March to the Sea" from their 2005 album The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw, which was released just a month-and-a-half later. The second track is a Justin Broadrick remix of "Angel Tears", a song from their 2003 debut full-length Australasia.

<i>Conqueror</i> (Jesu album) 2007 studio album by Jesu

Conqueror is the second full-length album from Jesu. It was released on 20 February 2007 in the USA, 19 February in the United Kingdom and Europe, and 2 February in Japan.

Battle of Mice was a post-metal supergroup consisting of Julie Christmas, Josh Graham, Joel Hamilton, Tony Maimone, and Joe Tomino.

Justin Broadrick discography

This is a partial discography of Justin Broadrick, a prolific English songwriter, guitarist, singer, producer and general multi-instrumentalist musician most known for being the leading force of the industrial metal band Godflesh. Broadrick is also recognized for his experimental project Jesu, his key contributions to the seminal grindcore album Scum (1987) by Napalm Death, and his strong presence in the electronic and industrial remix community.

<i>Jesu / Eluvium</i> 2007 EP by Jesu and Eluvium

Jesu / Eluvium is a split LP between Justin Broadrick's Jesu and Matthew Cooper's Eluvium. It was released through Hydra Head Records on July 5, 2007. The album was recorded at Broadrick's own Avalanche Studio. Broadrick and Cooper wrote, recorded and mixed their respective tracks with John Golden mastering all tracks. Broadrick featured the tracks he had produced later on the Jesu release Why Are We Not Perfect?.

<i>Lifeline</i> (EP) 2007 EP by Jesu

Lifeline is the fourth EP and eighth overall release by Jesu. It was released on CD on 4 October 2007 in Japan, and 23 October 2007 in America. In 2009, popular music publication Pitchfork Media cited "Lifeline" as "the best non-collaborative release in Broadrick's unwieldy discography."

<i>A Day of Nights</i> 2006 studio album by Battle of Mice

A Day of Nights is the first studio album by American post-metal band Battle of Mice. It was released on October 6, 2006 through Neurot Recordings label.

<i>Messiah</i> (EP) 2000 EP by Godflesh

Messiah is an EP by industrial metal band Godflesh. The EP was originally recorded and mixed during 1994, and was released independently to members of the band's fan club on 5 December 2000 along with four remixes, which were created in 1995. After Justin Broadrick disbanded Godflesh, he reissued the material through Relapse Records on 1 April 2003.

<i>Ascension</i> (Jesu album) 2011 studio album by Jesu

Ascension is the third studio album by the British post-metal band Jesu. The album was released on 10 May 2011 through Caldo Verde Records. Ascension is the first full-length studio album released by Jesu since 2007's Conqueror. On 8 June 2011, Daymare Recordings released the album in Japan with a bonus disc containing four additional tracks unavailable on the original release. In August of 2018, the album was reissued on vinyl via American record label Robotic Empire featuring brand new mixes for each song by Justin Broadrick, as well as new mastering provided by John Golden of Golden Mastering.

Jesu discography

The discography of the band Jesu consists of eighteen official releases. This includes four full-length albums, two compilation albums, seven EPs, and three split albums. An additional EP, a remixed album, and a single were released under the moniker Pale Sketcher. Jesu is a post-metal band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of Godflesh. In March, 2010, Broadrick announced that he felt Jesu had strayed further away from the guitar driven music that he had intended, and more into electronica. As a resolution, although Jesu would still contain electronic elements, it would return to a guitar driven sound while the Pale Sketcher project would allow Broadrick to explore the electronica oriented sound further without interfering with Jesu.

Greymachine is an experimental music project founded in 2006. It is led by Godflesh and Jesu frontman Justin Broadrick. The act also features Isis frontman and guitarist Aaron Turner, Jesu bassist Diarmuid Dalton and Head of David bassist Dave Cochrane.

JK Flesh pseudonym of Justin Broadrick

JK Flesh is a moniker of English musician Justin Broadrick employed for his solo work within "heavy" or "brutal" electronica music. Broadrick's usage of the title spans back to his work in the 1990s with Kevin Martin in Techno Animal, but he first released a solo studio album as JK Flesh in 2012. Unlike Broadrick's most well-known projects, Godflesh and Jesu, his work as JK Flesh is electronic and lacks metal riffs. Over the years, the project has shifted into a more minimal and dub sound while retaining its industrial influences.

<i>Jesu/Sun Kil Moon</i> 2016 studio album by Jesu and Sun Kil Moon

Jesu / Sun Kil Moon is a collaborative studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and British experimental act Jesu, released on January 21, 2016 on Caldo Verde Records and Rough Trade. The album also features guest musicians Will Oldham, members of Low, Rachel Goswell of Slowdive, and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. Jesu and Sun Kil Moon including drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth played six shows in February and March 2016 to support the album.

<i>Life Is Easy</i> 1999 studio album by Fall of Because

Life Is Easy is a compilation album by Birmingham-based industrial metal group Fall of Because, compiling songs recorded in 1986 and 1987 before the band became Godflesh. Released on 24 August 1999 through Alleysweeper and distributed by Martin Atkins' label Invisible Records, Life Is Easy contains many songs that went on to be rerecorded and turned into Godflesh tracks.

References

  1. Bob (September 19, 2008). "Battle of Mice / Jesu Split". scenepointblank.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  2. Belgarath (August 27, 2008). "Jesu/Battle of Mice Split". teethofthedivine.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  3. "JESU / BATTLE OF MICE – Split by JESU / BATTLE OF MICE". bandcamp.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  4. "Jesu / Battle Of Mice – Jesu / Battle Of Mice". discogs.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.