The Ubiquitous They

Rhythm & Wonder Unleashed

     

The Ubiquitous They an album that is both spoken narrative and funky, layered retro-electronica punctuated by guitar. The songs all seem to be part of a continuing dark monologue Jackson is having, railing at a world mired in denial and self-gratification. Yet each song, though woven closely with the one that came before, has its unique place. "Beauty Unleashed" is cool, dark and oddly nasty. "Don’t Think" hurtles forward into a world seething with desperate people and rush hour madness - and then Jackson’s staccato anger steps, without a break, into "Heart Goes Black." He sings, but most often on this album Jackson is in rap/chant mode. It puts the emphasis on his lyrics, his voice becoming an instrument of percussion, sounding out his poetry atop the synth and guitar that underlie it.