Jade Day
Chimera (Redeye)
Rightfully so, Chimera liner notes define its title: “an organism composed of genetically different tissues.” Translation: The promising Austin quartet has stitched together a Frankenstein’s monster of sensitive prog-rock. The result is a technically proficient collection of songs so evocative of its obvious and well-known antecedents as to be fatally distracting. Singer Jade Day emulates Jeff Buckley so slavishly that it’s very nearly plagiarism, and it occurs in almost every song on the album, although some offenses are more egregious than others. Chimera isn’t without its transcendent moments, however: The beautiful menace and driving passion of “Cloth & Straw” gets the album off on an appropriately urgent foot, and “Mena Patina” strikes the right notes between sexy and spooky, though again, the Soundgarden similarities are a little too overt to ignore. “Mother’s Pain” is a deeply emotive song that would be moving if it didn’t sound like it belonged on Buckley’s Grace. That’s unfortunate, as the music on Chimera is both gorgeous and ambitious, yet spectacularly unoriginal. Sometimes, one’s own is a tricky organism to nail down. (Thursday, March 16, 8pm @ Creekside EMC at Capitol Place)
This article appears in March 3 • 2006.