EMANUEL AND THE FEAR sing JIMMIE’S SONG for him /// The Burning Ear

i don’t wanna get a job, i don’t wanna be a man

♫ Emanuel and The Fear – Jimme’s Song (Full Band Version)

Emanuel and The Fear had one of 2009′s most uplifting and vibrant rock jams with “The Rain Becomes The Clouds” (TBE post). Judging by that song’s epic quality you might expect the band’s debut album to be equally hinge-busting. And judging from the way I phrased that last sentence you might expect me to tell you that it isn’t. Well, it isn’t. At 19 tracks, 15 of them full songs, Listen is a bit sprawling. Frank, over at Audio Muffin, says it best when he talks about his own surprise at the album’s “rock opera”-ness but goes on to say:

Not to say that there aren’t a ton of solid tracks, and if you like musicals and indie music, this is going to be right up your alley. But I think I was looking for something a bit more… mind-blowing.

Amen. Frank pretty much nails my feelings about Listen on the head so I’ll let you read his full post for more on the album. I’m here to talk about “Jimmie’s Song,” that track up top that is luckily long enough to have sound-tracked you reading all the way down to here. Decidedly mellower (and then heavier) than “The Rain Becomes The Clouds” it shone on their EP but at 8 minutes it prevented itself from becoming a listening staple. Luckily the album version has been pared down to 5:24 which leaves me reaching for repeat rather than next as Emanuel’s ~10 piece band brilliantly props up his great vocals with the song’s intense slow build. Emanuel and Co have a few Listen tracks up on their MySpace so if you are liking these jams so far then I recommend a visit to check ‘em out. Unfortunately my other album faves “Ariel and The River” and “The Finale” aren’t among them but they are a good start to decide for yourself about Emanuel’s vibe.