I became aware of the British singer and multi-instrumentalist in November 2014, when I was in India and friends of mine went to a Ben Howard concert in Berlin with Jack Garratt as opening act. My friends really recommended me to listen to his music and a few moments later I bought every Single and EP I could get on iTunes and and have been following his new releases with great interest.
So I was looking forward to hear his debut Phase since the announcement in October 2015 – and I am still flashed.
Coalesce (Synesthesia, Pt. II), the opening song is a quiet intro till minute one, than Jack scream “but first I’ll open up your mind” and roaring synths start to kick in.
The track ends abruptly and Breathe Life begins. Jack Garant shared this song together with his debut announcement and I have listened to this song over 50 times since release according to my play count. The tune, the lyrics, even the music video is awesome:
Next Up: Far Cry, another totally new song and one I don’t like that much. Maybe because the line “give me something” in the chorus reminds me a lot of the Give Me Something by Jarryd James.
Til today, I listened over 30 times to Weathered. It’s a thrilling song about growing up and there is great music video too:
Worry was the first song I ever heard from Jack Garratt and after listening I decided to buy everything on iTunes. Play count today: 45. I’m still in love with that song.
The same applies to The Love You’re Given. Track five on disc two (Deluxe Version) is Synesthesia, Pt. I, wich is kind of an intro to this song.
I Know All What I Do – well, not me. And maybe that’s why I find the song somewhat boring. Not bad, but not amazing.
Two days ahed of the release, Surprise Yourself, appeared on Spotify and I am in love since. Same for Fire, released about an week ago. There are stunning Live Versions of both songs – check them out:
Between Surprise Yourself and Fire is Chemical. Already released on Synesthesiac – a solid song, but he did not blows me away. As well as Synesthesia, Pt. III and My House Is Your Home, but with this song the album ends quietly and gives a beautiful frame to the beginning.
I don’t understand why Falling, Water (current play count: 23) and Remnants are only on the Deluxe version. Especially Falling, which is a completely new song.
All in all I have to say Phase was worth the waiting – I looking forward to see Jack Garratt live in Berlin. He begins his tour this month: https://www.songkick.com/artists/937546-jack-garratt/calendar.
My Rating: 9.5 out of 10
My Favorites: Breathe Life, Weathered, Worry, The Love You’re Given, Surprise Yourself, Fire, Falling (Deluxe)
Not for me: Far Cry, I Know All I Do
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