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Jump - The Myth Of Independence

Artist:	Jump
Title:	The Myth Of Independence
Label:	Cyclops CYCL 027
Length(s):	53 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1995
Month of review:	12/1995

Line up

Pete Davies - guitars
Steve Hayes - guitars
Mo - keyboards
Andy Barker - drums
Hugh Gascyone - bass
John Dexter Jones - voice
Additionally:
Mark Kelly - production and piano on Valediction

Tracks

1)	Tower Of Babel	7.20
2)	Princess Of The People	5.12
3)	On The Wheel	3.56
4)	Heaven & Earth	3.41
5)	Valediction	4.20
6)	Runaway	1.58
7)	Keep The Blues	5.26
8)	Blind Birds	5.34
9)	The Shallow Man	4.39
10)	Drivetime	4.03
11)	On My Side	6.48

Summary

It's one of those CDs that has to be reviewed, or has it? I mean Kelly is playing on it and producing it, reason enough for many people to just buy the thing. Really, a bit sad for other bands that have to work to get just that little bit of attention. Well, let's see what they made of it and how it compares with for instance Enchant, Jadis or Arrakeen.

The music

Hard album to review I think, because Jump has at once many faces and only one. They can be ironic in tracks like Tower of Babel and Princess of the People, serious like in On my Side, lyrical in Keep the Blues and critical like in Runaway, On the Wheel and Drivetime. They can even write a lovesong or two.

Conclusion

Musically, it's not very progressive I think. Musically they tend to Grey Lady Down, because of the vocals, to Marillion (like in the first track which is quite like Charting the Single), and Dire Straits (the use of organ, the guitar at times and also the laid back music they make). The songs are mostly mid-tempo and I have to admit don't really shine or captivate. Most of the time, the tracks pass on without much notice. A notable exception to this is Keep the Blues, which is rather powerful and also the more folky tracks like Runaway (reference to Shadowplay) and some of the more atmospheric parts in which they remind me of Clutching at straws era Marllion. It's not entirely straightforward, but a lot less progressive than most the readers here would want, I think.