JAAW is a post-industrial supergroup featuring the afore mentioned Mr Cairns along with Jason Stoll (Mugstar, KLÄMP, Sex Swing), Wayne Adams (Death Pedals, Big Lad, Petbrick), and Adam Betts (Three Trapped Tigers, Goldie, Squarepusher), take the first name initial for all four parties…. And you have JAAW.
‘Supercluster’ is a raw, post-industrial 38-minute trip with just eight songs present but so much is crammed into this debut offering. Almost sounding like a live recording, the songs are loaded with samples, blips and pulsing buzzsaws, and Andy’s almost signature shapeshifting vocals sound like distressed SOS CB radio snippets, distorted but equal in clarity and loaded with melody. From album opener ‘Thoughts and Prayers (Mean Nothing)’ to album closer ‘Army of Me’ a guitar driven cover of the Bjork classic, there is very little respite throughout, which in my opinion is a good thing.
The fuzz guitars, even dirtier distorted bass and drums drive in unison throughout, taking steps back when needed to create huge spaces for the other sounds to take centre stage. When asked about the concept of JAAW as a whole, Cairns said “The lyrics, too, are part of the same whole,” adds Cairns. “I feel you could drop the needle at any point on this record and you know where you are with it. To me, it’s like greyscale psychedelia. It’s just this… experience.”
As someone who isn’t hugely into the Post-Industrial scene as a whole, although I love the likes of Ministry and NIN and also being a lifelong Therapy? fan, this album really is quite a journey and actually makes me want to delve deeper into early Godflesh and Head of David and the like. I even hear slight nuances of Max Cavalera’s, Nailbomb project in certain parts .
Put simply, if you like Therapy?, and you like your songs to be no frills, heavy as a mofo and dripping in equal portions of ambience and chaos, ‘Supercluster’ is an absolute must. 8/10
