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DIGITALIA
SONG REVIEWED: "Radio"
WELL GODDAMN...IT'S ABOUT TIME SOMEONE IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES WROTE A DECENT ROCK ALBUM; IT SURE HAS BEEN A WHILE, HASN'T IT? JESTER HAILS FROM CENTRAL NEW JERSEY, AND HAS PLAYED EXTENSIVELY IN THE AREA, OPENING FOR ACTS LIKE POISON, RATT, GREAT WHITE, AND DAVID LEE ROTH. "DIGITALIA" IS THE FOLLOW UP TO THEIR DEBUT DISC, "TALES FROM THE BOOGIEMAN", AND WAS RECORDED IN A LITTLE HOME DIGITAL RECORDING STUDIO. HOWEVER, IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A HOME RECORDING. THIS RELEASE PACKS SOME SERIOUS PUNCH. THE THIRD TRACK, "RADIO" IS AN ANTHEMIC HOMAGE TO THE STATE OF ROCK MUSIC IN THE 1990s. JESTER'S MUSICIANSHIP AND VOCALS ON THIS TRACK ARE VERY STRONG, AS WELL AS THE MELODY....VERY HUMMABLE. I'M A TREMENDOUS ADVOCATE OF SONGWRITING ABILITY, AND IN MY NOT-SO-HUMBLE OPINION, THESE GUYS HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF IT. WHEN THE CHORUS KICKS IN, AND YOU HEAR THE DISTICNT HOWL OF MULTIPLE VOCAL TRACKS SCREAMING "WHAT'S ON MY RADIO?", YOU CAN'T HELP BUT WANT TO KICK THE SHIT OUT OF SOMETHING (OR SOMEONE)... DEF LEPPARD MADE HUGE CHORUSES ALMOST A REQUIREMENT FOR MELODIC HARD ROCK, AND JESTER FOLLOWS THE LEAD NICELY (NOT THAT THEY'RE A DEF LEPPARD RIP, BUT THERE IS AN INFLUENCE).
THE REST OF "DIGITALIA" IS VERY STRONG MUSICALLY AS WELL AS MELODICALLY...ESPECIALLY THE AGRESSIVE TUNES. THERE ARE A FEW BALLADS ON THE DISC, AND IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE THEY'RE THERE OUT OF OBLIGATION (WAS NEVER A HUGE FAN OF THE HARD ROCK BALLAD). THE DISC IS BEING DISTRIBUTED BY PULSE RECORDS RIGHT NOW, AND WHILE THEY MIGHT BE FACING AN UPHILL BATTLE AS FAR AS A DOMESTIC MAJOR LABEL RELEASE IS CONCERNED (BANDS LIKE JESTER AREN'T GETTING U.S. DEALS ON MAJOR LABELS... THE KID ROCKS, LIMP BIZKITS, AND KORNS ARE TAKING THOSE SPOTS), I THINK THEY COULD GET AN INTERNATIONAL DEAL IN A HEARTBEAT.
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