In their press release, Athens-based rock duo Jucifer lists melodic, rhythmically pleasing artists like The Doors and Pat Metheny as influences, along with heavier, metal rockers like Black Flag and Cradle of Filth. While Jucifer may incorporate the occasional upbeat groove, their six-song EP "War Bird" is a mostly a pessimistic look into the darker side of alternative rock.
Jucifer consists of husband-wife combo Amber Valentine (guitar/vocals) and Edgar Livengood (drums). The married couple has released two full-length albums, 1998's "Calling All Cars on the Vegas Strip" and 2002's "I Name You Destroyer."
"War Bird" kicks off with "Ides of Light," a slow thrasher that picks up steam as the song goes on. Valentine's soft vocals are a good match for the song's simple rhythm, but despite the heavy-bodied, full guitar sound, the song seems empty without an accompanying bass line.
Most of the songs on "War Bird" are painfully similar and sound as though Valentine thought up each guitar line on the spot while recording and Livengood did his best to keep up with his poorly recorded-not poorly played-drumming.
However, the album is not without merit. "Haute Couture," the EP's fourth track, has a perfect mix of pop sensibility and punk influence. It sounds like a Velvet Underground tune on uppers. On "My Stars," the band displays their Georgian roots with an American-roots tune that sounds like it was produced by T-Bone Burnett.
On "War Bird," the two melodic and friendly tunes are better crafted than the four heavy metal tunes. If Jucifer could concentrate on what they do best, they would really have something. Unfortunately, they are more concerned with the distortion level on their amplifiers than the construction of a well-made song.
