Single: Jack Drag - Smile on Fire EP

Released: 1st July, cd/12�

Label: Shifty Disco

Mr Dragonetti returns with a five track EP fronted with two of the best tracks from his recent �The Sun Inside� LP...& I�m surprised by how much I�m enjoying this!

Opening with �Smile on Fire�, a groovy, sunny armadillo of a pop song which picks you up with its infectious rhythm & perplexes with its unexpected changes - the latter, one of the things I like most. The complexity of his arrangements is also a great bonus - all of his tracks stand up to repeated listening and there are a lot of subtle elements that you don�t catch on the first few listens. Other than that - well, great wah wah intro, cool flute (although I�m not sure about the trumpet) & I�m even quite enjoying his voice. The production (as with all his tracks) is earthy and lo-fi without being muddy: all the elements are audible and can be picked out...however, don't expect any of these tracks to sparkle or shine, or to grab you round the throat. Jack's style is far more subtle than that, the contemplative melodies and understated grooves take time to work through your mind.

FM royalty, jack�s collaboration with Dan the Automator still sounds as fat as it did, although I wish the beats were a bit less crunchy & lo-fi.  This track doesn�t show such interesting development, rather creating a  solid groove which the �song� itself flows over. It�s also got a cool guitar solo, something which I usually don�t appreciate.

�She Trips Me Out With Her Pink Floyd� is an interesting track: it bears the usual Jack Drag lumpy beats, but with a more fluid breakbeat behind it which fits really well. At first I didn�t like the main groove, which is very flat and quite lifeless...but it�s grown on me to the extent that I think it makes the track. That it sits so weirdly underneath the music works in the track�s favor. Like several of the album tracks, it�s got quite an ill vibe once you see beyond the surface of apparently anodyne melodies, and there are some excellent vocal treatments. The meandering composition style is in full effect here, and you never know precisely what to expect without the accessibility of the song being compromised.

�Deny� follows FM royalty�s lilting hip hop groove, and is quite light in its mood; despite its lyrics (�I hope this generation kills this nation/The way I see it a revolution could be entertaining�). It also carries a more dynamic vocal arrangement than is usual for Mr Dragonetti, which works well with the less cluttered production. That said, it�s the weakest track on the single, & is hardly essential listening.

The Jack Lord Jones remix of FM royalty retains all the elements of the original, simply rearranging them into a less �pop� formula - it�s interesting, & hearing this shows there�s more to the original than you�d think, however it does overstay its welcome a little, especially considering there�s already one version of the track on here.

So no real surprises then...if you�re not into the album you won�t like this, but it�d be a good introduction to Jack�s sound if you haven�t heard him yet, & even if you have it�s probably worth it for the third track. Nice one, Jack.

Michael Miller