Orange Rhyming Dictionary

Orange Rhyming Dictionary is the debut studio album by American rock band Jets to Brazil, released October 27, 1998 on Jade Tree Records. Following the break up of Jawbreaker, frontman Blake Schwarzenbach moved to New York City, and formed Jets to Brazil with bassist/vocalist Jeremy Chatelain (of Handsome) and drummer Chris Daly (of Texas Is the Reason). J. Robbins was drafted in to produce the group's debut at Easley Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. With Orange Rhyming Dictionary, Schwarzenbach moved away from the punk rock sound of Jawbreaker into indie rock and post-hardcore. The Van Pelt guitarist Brian Maryansky joined Jets to Brazil, prior to touring the US and Japan. Further stints of the US and Europe followed into early 2000.

Orange Rhyming Dictionary
Studio album by
Jets to Brazil
ReleasedOctober 27, 1998
RecordedAugust 1998
StudioEasley
GenreIndie rock, post-hardcore
Length52:40
LabelJade Tree
ProducerJ. Robbins
Jets to Brazil chronology
Orange Rhyming Dictionary
(1998)		 Four Cornered Night
(2000)

Background and production

During the early-to-mid 1990s, Jawbreaker were viewed as what Dave Clifford of SF Weekly referred to as "indie darlings" that were praised for their "headstrong resistance" against the mainstream music industry.[1] The group signed to major label DGC Records, which brought them vitriol from their friends. Due to a lack of success from radio stations and MTV disregarding their final album Dear You in 1995,[1] the band broke up shortly after playing their final show in May 1996. Frontman Blake Schwarzenbach briefly played drums in Moons,[2] before moving from San Francisco to New York City.[3] He settled into an apartment in Brooklyn;[2] that same day, Schwarzenbach met bassist/vocalist Jeremy Chatelain,[4] who was a friend of his girlfriend.[5] Chatelain's band Handsome was recording a major label debut at the time.[4]

The duo quickly became friends and planned to meet up later in the year; Schwarzenbach spent the next few months recording demos.[5] With no intention of playing in a band again,[4] Schwarzenbach spent 1997 writing for Spin and GameSpot. Sometime after, Schwarzenbach started playing with synthesizers and samplers, taping some songs on a TASCAM four-track recorder.[2] Chatelain, with Handsome now broken up, heard Schwarzenbach's demos, and attempted to talk Schwarzenbach into playing music again. Chatelain, who was aware that Texas Is the Reason had broken up, brought drummer Chris Daly in to replace the drum machine parts on Schwarzenbach's demos.[5]

The trio got along well and decided to form Jets to Brazil; they recorded a five-song demo tape[5] and made their live debut in April 1998. With Lifetime's Peter Martin as the group's temporary second guitarist,[2] they played shows in the US northeast, before touring across Europe with the Promise Ring for five weeks. The group's punk rock attitude, pop sensibilities and new wave aesthetic caught the attention of independent label Jade Tree.[6] Schwarzenbach freed himself from a three-album contact with DGC,[2] and signed to Jade Tree.[6] Orange Rhyming Dictionary was recorded at Easley Studios in Memphis, Tennessee for two weeks[5] in August 1998. It was produced by J. Robbins and engineered by Stuart Sikes.[7]

Composition

Orange Rhyming Dictionary saw a shift from the pop punk/punk rock sound of Jawbreaker into indie rock[1][3][8] and post-hardcore territory,[9] utilizing sparser song arrangements and thin vocal harmonies in place of Schwarzenbach's gritty voice.[1] It retained the catchy choruses of pop punk, while being backed by the post-hardcore guitar work.[10] The album, which drew comparisons to Gang of Four and Magazine,[11] explored the feelings Schwarzenbach felt while he was in Jawbreaker during his period with DGC: fear, hope and doubt.[12] Some of the songs tackle being a white-collar worker, drug addiction and spending time in hotel rooms; sung in third-person.[4] It also addresses sustaining artistic integrity despite commercial expectations.[12] Schwarzenbach fondness for longer songs laid the groundwork for the album; with "Accident Prone" and "Jet Black", both from Dear You, serving as the blueprint for most of Orange Rhyming Dictionary.[3]

"Crown of the Valley" opens with Schwarzenbach's Brit funk-indebted and wah-wah pedal-enhanced guitar line,[1] which was backed by polyrhythmic drum parts. Prior to the chorus, the guitar shifts to minimalistic droning with only the drums being heard. This experimentation recalled the efforts heard on Dear You.[13] The chorus features detuned string bending and jangling chord progressions.[1] The art rock track "Morning New Disease" is followed by new wave number "Resistance Is Futile",[11] which incorporates a synthesizer part that was reminiscent of Gary Numan. The track sees Chatelain channelling 1970s rock-esque backing vocals. Schwarzenbach's vocal on "Sea Anemone" and "Sweet Avenue" was compared to the crooning of the Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler.[1] "Sea Anemone" and "Conrad" tackled the theme of suicide.[14] The introduction to "King Medicine" features harmonic guitar parts.[13] "I Typed for Miles was inspired by a scene in the film Barton Fink (1991),[3] and was compared to "Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana.[15] The album ends with the acoustic closing track "Sweet Avenue".[13]

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
CMJ New Music ReportFavorable[10]
Ink 19Favorable[16]
Ox-FanzineFavorable[17]
SF WeeklyFavorable[1]
Washington City PaperFavorable[8]

Promotion and touring

As the album was written with two guitars and a keyboard, they brought in former the Van Pelt guitarist Brian Maryansky to aid in performing the songs live.[4] Maryansky had previously played with Daly in the early 1990s act Resurrection.[18] Orange Rhyming Dictionary was released on October 27, 1998.[19] Following this, the band toured across the US with the Promise Ring, leading up to a Japanese tour the following month.[6] In early 1999, the band performed at South by Southwest, which Schwarzenbach later called "a train wreck."[20] In April, the band went a tour of the US with the midwest and east coast dates being supported by Euphone; the band took a month's break following this.[21]

Schwarzenbach spent the next few months visiting his uncle in Mexico and traveling on a boat ride to California.[22] In September, the group performed at the Jade Tree/CMJ showcase in New York City, and a handful of east coast dates around this.[23] The band had planned to return to Europe shortly after their April US tour,[21] however, the dates were later rescheduled to November and December, with support from Euphone.[23] In February 2000, the group went on an east coast tour, with support from the Americans[24] and a few shows with Turing Machine.[25]

Critical response and legacy

Orange Rhyming Dictionary received favorable reviews from music critics. AllMusic reviewer Mike DaRonco said the band "live up to their hype", nothing that the majority of the tracks "clock in at an epic length."[15] The releases "mood swings" vary from "laid-back and gloomy too upbeat and not as gloomy", while still being all in a good sort of way."[15] Cheryl Botchick of CMJ New Music Report said it managed to do a "rare accomplishment: The album actually picks up in speed, catchiness and fervor as it progresses."[10] Ink 19 writer Andrew Chadwick found the lyrics "the same, like an old friend with a fresh heartache"; adding that this was where the similarities with Jawbreaker ended.[16] He noted that melodic punk of Jawbreaker had been swapped for "another evolution" that is "cleaner, less aggressive", yet "still emotionally powerful."[16]

Ox-Fanzine's Joachim Hiller said the record was "unlikely to disappoint anyone" of was a fan of the members' past work in their previous bands.[17] He added that it was "hard and massive and edgy" with "loud" guitar work that was "just damn good."[17] Dave Clifford of SF Weekly wrote that the record "displays [Schwarzenbach's] reluctance to revisit his former role of coaxing angst from a wall of distorted guitars."[1] He mentioned Schwarzenbach was attempting to "remain true to himself while exploring different arteries ... which makes Orange Rhyming Dictionary something of a triumph."[1] Washington City Paper writer Colin Bane said the record "succeeds almost solely on the strength" of Schwarzenbach's "knack for always having something interesting to say and the language at his disposal to say it."[8]

Orange Rhyming Dictionary eventually became the best-selling release in Jade Tree's history.[2] It has appeared on a best-of emo list by Louder,[14] a best-of 1990s list by Treblezine,[26] and influential album lists by Buddy Nielsen of Senses Fail[27] and Vinnie Caruana of the Movielife/I Am the Avalanche.[28] Similarly, "Chinatown" appeared on a best-of emo songs list by Vulture.[29]

Track listing

Track listing per booklet.[7]

  1. "Crown of the Valley" – 4:55
  2. "Morning New Disease" – 4:16
  3. "Resistance Is Futile" – 3:00
  4. "Starry Configurations" – 4:03
  5. "Chinatown" – 5:35
  6. "Sea Anemone" – 5:20
  7. "Lemon Yellow Black" – 4:02
  8. "Conrad" – 4:58
  9. "King Medicine" – 5:42
  10. "I Typed for Miles" – 5:33
  11. "Sweet Avenue" – 5:16

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[7]

Jets to Brazil

Production

  • J. Robbins – producer
  • Stuart Sikes – engineer
  • Alan Douches – mastering
  • Chrissy Piper – photography
  • Jason Gnewikow – art direction, design

References
  1. Clifford, Dave (November 18, 1998). "Reviews". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  2. "Jawbreaker Days of Whine and Poses". Exclaim!. March 26, 2010. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  3. Anthony, David (October 4, 2018). "Jets to Brazil's 'Orange Rhyming Dictionary' Tested Punk Purists' Patience". Vice. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. Jacks, Kelso (2000). "Jets to Brazil - Flying the Friendly Skies". CMJ. Archived from the original on September 26, 2003. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  5. "Jets to Brazil". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on December 4, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on February 21, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  7. Orange Rhyming Dictionary (booklet). Jets to Brazil. Jade Tree. 1998. JT1038.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. Bane, Colin (December 11, 1998). "Orange Rhyming Dictionary". Washington City Paper. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  9. Blest, Paul (June 18, 2014). "Jade Tree: The Essentials, the Overlooked, and the Rightfully Forgotten". Vice. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  10. Botchick, Cherly (October 26, 1998). "Jets To Brazil: Orange Rhyming Dictionary". CMJ New Music Report. Archived from the original on September 22, 2002. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  11. "Jet Boys". Westworld. April 1, 1999. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  12. Ashare, Matt (April 1999). "Nothing Rhymes with Orange". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 68. CMJ Network, Inc. p. 12. ISSN 1074-6978.
  13. "Hear This". SF Weekly. October 14, 1998. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  14. Pearlman, Mischa (October 12, 2016). "The 11 best emo albums". Louder. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  15. DaRonco, Mike. "Orange Rhyming Dictionary – Jets to Brazil". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  16. Chadwick, Andrew (December 30, 1998). "Jets To Brazil Orange Rhyming Dictionary". Ink 19. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  17. Hiller, Joachim (1998). "Jets to Brazil Orange rhyming dictionary CD". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  18. "Ressurection". Myspace. Archived from the original on June 29, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  19. "Orange Rhyming Dictionary - Jets to Brazil | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  20. Chamy, Michael (September 22, 2000). "Live Shots". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  21. "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on April 20, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  22. Martin, Richard A. (September 2000). "The Low Road". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 85. CMJ Network, Inc. p. 32. ISSN 1074-6978. Archived from the original on 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  23. "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on October 6, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  24. "Tours". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on February 29, 2000. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  25. "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on February 29, 2000. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  26. Treble Staff (August 4, 2008). "Personal Best: Albums of the '90s". Treblezine. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  27. Callwood, Brett (October 14, 2019). "My Favorite Album: Senses Fail's Buddy Nielsen". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  28. Edwards, Briony (September 24, 2019). "10 records that never age, by Vinnie Caruana". Louder. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  29. Nelson, Brad (February 13, 2020). "The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time". Vulture. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.