PAUL JACKS

"Rather than trying to be daringly futuristic with untried themes that  could crash and burn if timed against a volatile culture like that of  2020, Jacks is digging into the history of alternative rock to find  inspiration in the corners of synth pop and new wave artistry many have  long abandoned in recent times – only he’s adding a twist."

"Contradictions are always inviting in this genre, but duality is  something that turns the deepest of underground players into icons  virtually overnight."

"With the release of his explosive, retro-synthy, sonically intricate and vocally hypnotic  apocalypse/aftermath concept album Black Jackal, Anchorage based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Jacks is quickly becoming the indie pop world’s most engaging purveyor of the classic A-side/B-side aesthetic that was once the norm in the rock era."  

"Black Jackal is  a very stimulating listen even after it’s been put on the stereo a  couple of times through, and I don’t believe you’re likely to find  another album of its kind in 2020. In short, if you weren’t watching  this artist before his new LP, you will be very soon."

"In a year that has celebrated anxiety and stress like few others in  recent memory, the ultra-surreal tendencies of an LP lie this one come  to audiophiles as soul food for the tired mind – an exodus away from the  conventionality of mundane melodic pop..." 

" ‘Black Jackal’, keeping to Jacks’ style, harks back to the 80s, and the  laid back rock style favoured by the likes of Joy Division / New Order,  Echo & The Bunnymen, The Cure, Yazoo, and Interpol."

"... the term alternative music still means something in 2020, but it's only because of the independent element represented so breathtakingly well by records like this one." 

"Deep in thought for and through his art, Paul Jacks utilizes his  influences of literature , he focuses passions for writers by J.G  Ballard, Ray Bradbury, and Philip K. Dick, to dig deep into the  possibilities of philosophy, psychology, mythology, and alchemy"  

“Black Jackal isn’t the kind of album that you put on in the background  while you work. It demands your attention and requires the kind of deep  listening that rarely happens anymore."

"...he’s an alternative legend in the making, much like his heroes before  him, and in adapting historical sonic virtues to meet the needs of a millennial audience, he secures a permanent place in my heart as a critic and music fan."

"The backdrop for the album is an apocalyptic world and its aftermath. That dark, dire feel is apparent on “Black Jackal.” 

“The Hunger, is a smooth and eerie track that takes us right onto the  dance floor as Jacks sings “I feel the hunger tonight / Got my blood to a  boil / Will you cure me somehow?/ Before I imitate”  

"Jacks has an uncanny ability to use just the right synth sounds and melodies  to get such a perfectly genuine 80's aesthetic that it gives you the warm and fuzees." 

"A synth-pop/synthwave gem by Paul jacks… Back to the 80s! "

"Jacks channels the best of the 80s British invasion on ‘Foolish Pride’ (he even mentions 1981 in the lyrics), as he takes a step out of himself, making a very personal and quite introspective observation on  the pitfalls of Pride."

"Låten fick mig att tänka på Johnny Marr och Bernard Sumners projekt Electronic, vilket såklart är en bra sak. Eller vad säger du?" 

"Right from the opening beat, “All The Rage” has a distinct vibe that is a mix of classic New Order rhythms with a Morrissey like croon and sway from Paul Jacks. This 80’s jolt will bring back the days when OMD, Depeche Mode, Soft Cell and Pet Shop Boys were radio staples while the song itself is a socially conscious challenge of all the anger and  violence in the world." 

“Shy Boy is Disco Pop and while there is Beatles-formed-in-the-70s  flowing from a lo-fi synth foundation, I get a bit of early OMD from it.  Rising and falling into and out of majors an minors, the song has a  shimmy born in a brightly colored room, but an underlying longing." 

"...synth-master Paul Jacks is bringing us six dynamic new songs as three A/B sided singles, each with its own distinctive artwork." 

"...Paul Jacks is taking a completely different approach to this album  and producing something that is monolithic, melodic, and most of all,  mightily addictive even after a only a single spin."

"I loved the overall vibrancy, the bright grooves, atmospheric melodies and soaring production values." 

"Beneath the cosmetically gorgeous surface, In Other Words is a  sterling songbook of effervescence and experimentation, and it’s easily  one of my favorite albums hitting record stores this month." 

"Too Emotional is one of those multi-layered songs that causes you to  pause and analyse it; to decipher the distinct layers, and to think  about where you’ve heard it before. It’s at once new and familiar at the  same time: it’s retro and modern; upbeat and yet covering deep subject matter."

"... on Paul Jacks' In Other Words-it is a musically effervescent release to my ears that contains new rewards with each new hearing."

"Gorgeously wrought, In Other Words delivers contagious energy and alluring blends of nu-wave colors, along with Paul Jacks’ alluring voice." 

"I was only recently introduced to the music of Paul Jacks, but I’m already head over heels for what he’s doing in this latest release. Defractor, his first album, had all the trappings of a perfect debut, and the  blueprint that its tracklist set forth is definitely expanded upon in this record" 

"The ten songs comprising the album wrestle with intense emotions and subject matter but the light Jacks spies at the end of the song cycle is not an oncoming train but, instead, a better tomorrow." 

"He’s got an organic talent that comes on overwhelmingly strong in pretty much every track here, and it’s something that I would love to hear more of in another release. I’ll be keeping an eye on his progress in the next few years, and once you’ve listened to In Other Words this August, I think you’ll want to as well." 

"Talk about a quick turnaround! A mere six months after the release of his Defractor LP, Alaska’s Paul Jacks announces In Other Words for an August release, again on the Tritone Records label."