JARR is a new collaborative project from two artists whose creative paths converged two years ago at a live performance in Derby, UK by journeyman guitarist Jon Atwood aka Yellow 6 attended by Ray Robinson, an award-winning novelist and screenwriter who began his own foray into recording under the moniker of Wodwo only the year before. While the Covid-19 outbreak squelched the opportunity for the duo to collaborate on live gigs, they did begin exchanging homemade demos with one another and slowly built them into finished songs that intertwined the layers of sound they each developed. The first After making their first appearance with a contribution to charity compilation Music For Another Sky (Mailbox) called “An Echo In Her Skin”, Jon & Ray will be releasing a full-length JARR album of the same title next month on Seattle’s Hush Hush Records.
Atwood’s seasoned mastery of post-rock and shoegaze inflected soundscapes and Robinson’s gift for mapping out and framing narratives as a writer prove to be potent combination across the eight carefully layered compositions. These are two storytellers that have followed very different paths but have been able to merge their musical voices and ideas in seamless and compelling fashion. A case in point is the achingly gorgeous lead single “Lonely Men” featured here against the backdrop of nostalgic video footage that subtly echoes the wistful longing expressed by the piece.
Links: Bandcamp (CD/digital) | Yellow6 (Jon Atwood) | Wodwo (Ray Robinson)
An Echo In Her Skin will be available digitally and in a limited CD edition on June 11, 2021 from Seattle-based Hush Hush Records curated by KEXP Radio DJ Alex Ruder. The album was mastered by Taylor Deupree.
Stationary Travels 