JADIS – Photoplay

British quartet Jadis has through nearly 20 years and 5 albums established themselves on the Progressive Rock scene. This year’s album, Photoplay, appears to be an experiment with new images and sounds, hence the title perhaps?

The Music

Photoplay challenges Jadis’ belonging in the Neo-Progressive Rock genre. Having been recorded and edited at home over several months by their own Gary Chandler (vocals & guitars), it appears to sound somewhat different from some of their previous efforts.

Some things remain the same, though, and Chandler’s voice is definitely one of them. With his expressive and soulful vocals, he often ends up carrying the music on his shoulders, while it should have been the other way around. That is, Jadis has kind of turned all soft on his fans and even with the guitars cranked all the way up and the drums hammered, it all comes out smoother than whipped cream. And as you all know, whipped cream is quite good, but only in small doses.

Their ability to find good melodies has not been lost. Even if the album has a very Adult Pop-ish feel to it, there are phrases and passages here likely to be approved and welcomed by fans as well as others. Among the better songs on board are “Standing Still,” “Make Me Move,” and (barely) “All You’ve Ever Known,” while the concluding title track “Photoplay” is better left to remain unspoken.

The Band

Except for Chandler being the rock on this album, Steve Christey (drums) and John Jowitt (bass) both make a substantial effort and with a most convincing outcome. Martin Orford (keyboards) is, however, surprisingly pale on this album. His massive organ trademark has been reduced to a hardly noticeable soft, ambient character. A pity, when knowing how much he has to offer. Then again, his recent departure from the band makes all the more sense.

The Verdict

Photoplay undoubtedly reveals a desire to play with new sounds and images, thus a Progressive album for Jadis after all. However, from a listener’s point of view, the album is a little pale and self-indulgent to fit in.