Jakob
Jakob is an instrumental rock band from Napier, New Zealand. Since its formation in 1998, the band has consisted of guitarist Jeff Boyle, bassist Maurice Beckett, and drummer Jason Johnston. They have to date released four full-length albums, two EPs, and three seven-inch singles.
Over the years the trio has played with acts such as Isis, Mono, Tool, Damo Suzuki, The Hidden Hand, and The Austerity Program, along with fellow Australasian groups High Dependency Unit, Keretta, Cog, Avotor, Meterman, Salmonella Dub, and Pitch Black. Their albums have garnered significant praise both at home and abroad, receiving multiple bNet nominations in New Zealand (including Best New Artist, Best Live Act, and Best Album) and touring all over the world.
Forming in July of 1998, the band consistently played shows into the next year, when they released a self-titled EP. After putting out a seven-inch single "Erfo" in 2000, the band devoted the next year to recording their debut full-length album with Keretta guitarist David Holmes as producer. Subsets of Sets came out in August of 2001 through New Zealand label Midium Records. The twelve-song effort that saw the band expanding their sonic palette and inviting favorable comparisons to Mogwai and High Dependency Unit.
Following a period of relative inactivity their sophomore record Cale:Drew was finished in March of 2003. Named after the twins of Boyle's sister, the album was again produced by Holmes and released by Midium in August. The next year saw the release of the "Semaphore" seven-inch single and, in November, the Dominion EP, which comprised of a single half-hour track taken from the sessions for Cale:Drew. The band also toured internationally in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe, continuing into 2005 (including an appearance at South by Southwest), with "The Diffusion of Our Inherent Situation" (another seven-inch single taken from Cale:Drew) released later in the same year.
Solace, their third album, was recorded in May of 2006 and then released in September, again helmed by Holmes and put out by Midium, with vinyl editions handled by Graveface Records in 2007 and Conspiracy Records in 2008. The seven songs found the band further refining their sound, building off Cale:Drew's distinct emphasis on atmospheric textures in conjunction with their metal-indebted riffs and rhythms in the vein of other instrumental bands such as Isis, Pelican, and Russian Circles. In support the trio completed multiple worldwide tours, often playing with Isis (such as on their runs through Europe and the United States).
Boyle and Beckett turned their attention to other projects, Maurice with his solo material as Desbot and Jeff with new band Mean alongside H. Walker of Keretta (whose debut album Knowing released via Midium in December of 2012).
The band hoped to capitalize on their success with Solace but were instead greeted with multiple setbacks, most notably with all three members suffering debilitating hand injuries. Surgeries and prolonged recoveries forced them to delay any recording or touring efforts. However, their next album slowly and gradually took shape, culminating in the form of Sines, at last released by Valve, Shoot the Freak, and the Mylene Sheath in October of 2014.
This eight year process marked a tremendous undertaking by all involved – from scattered studio time in Napier and Auckland to mixing sessions by Boyle (including assistance by Aaron Turner and Jono Gardner of Isis, as well as longtime co-producer Holmes) to the final stages of mastering by friend Chris Chetland at Kog Transmissions (who had previously worked on Cale:Drew). Orchestral elements were incorporated into the band's palette, a stylistic facet only previously hinted at in earlier works.
Jakob have long since earned their reputation across the globe as a truly unique and artistic sonic entity – one of the country’s most heralded live acts with a back catalogue of critically acclaimed and widely adored releases that have richly enhanced New Zealand’s musical legacy. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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