{"id":19087,"date":"2020-11-10T10:49:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T15:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=19087"},"modified":"2022-01-06T19:47:48","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T00:47:48","slug":"album-review-jakko-m-jakszyk-secrets-lies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=19087","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Jakko M. Jakszyk – Secrets & Lies"},"content":{"rendered":"

For nearly 45 years, Jakko Jakszy<\/strong>k has been immersed in the progressive music scene cultivating his own underground following.\u00a0 Jakszyk became a much more known name when Robert Fripp recruited him for a new incarnation of King Crimson in 2013 which is how I became a fan of not just Jakko but of King Crimson<\/strong>.\u00a0 King Crimson\u2019s music was never anything that I felt connected to but hearing this line-up with Jakko spoke to me.\u00a0 His emotive, clear yet powerful voice and his tasteful guitar playing drew me in and made me a fan.<\/p>\n

When I become a fan of someone, my obsessive disorder kicks in and I need to know everything and hear everything.\u00a0 Because of this, I have made it a goal to backtrack and find everything I could by Jakko.\u00a0 With a diverse career that even saw him dipping into pop music a bit, it was Jakko\u2019s album The Road to Ballina<\/strong><\/em> that grabbed me first, and then his stellar The Bruised Romantic Glee Club<\/em><\/strong> album was where the seed started to germinate.\u00a0 The Jakszyk\/Fripp\/Collins album A Scarcity of Miracles<\/strong><\/em> is where it was solidified Jakko\u2019s place as one of my all-time favorite guitarist\/singer\/songwriters.<\/p>\n

In 2020, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic when nearly all touring bands ground to a halt, most chose to make new music and Jakko Jakszyk is one of them who went this route.\u00a0 When I heard that Jakko was releasing a new album of music called Secrets & Lies<\/strong><\/em>, I was beside myself and waited as patiently as possible.\u00a0 A short, artistic film for the song \u201cThe Trouble with Angels\u201d was released ahead of the album and it set the path towards the release.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Trouble with Angels\u201d was a great introduction to the album and it just made me more excited for the release of the album.\u00a0 When I finally got my hands on it, I couldn\u2019t wait to dive right into it.\u00a0 The album kicks off with \u201cBefore I Met You\u201d which is a dark, heavy, almost angry-sounding song that caught me off guard but in a great way.\u00a0 I was expecting to be eased in but right away I was being rocked the fuck out with one of the most epic guitar solos I\u2019ve heard.\u00a0 The groove set down by drummer Gavin Harrison and Secrets & Lies<\/strong><\/em> is hands down Jakko\u2019s greatest work to date and it is an album that has moved me to the point that I have listened at least five times already.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Trouble with Angels\u201d sounds like it picked up where the album A Scarcity of Miracles<\/strong><\/em> left off.\u00a0 This is a good thing.\u00a0 The atmospheric music foundation is lead by Jakko\u2019s voice into a place that had me tearing up from the subtle yet powerful emotion of the lyrics.\u00a0 This vibe continues with \u201cThe Rotter\u2019s Club Is Closing Down\u201d which lyrically seems to be a nostalgic trip back to a place and a time that holds a special place for Jakko.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s fictitious or real, the song tugged at my heartstrings and had me remember good times and places from long ago.<\/p>\n

Secrets & Lies<\/strong><\/em> also steers into the King Crimson influenced progressive tones on \u201cUncertain Times,\u201d the tribal-inspired \u201cFools Mandate and \u201cIt Would All Make Sense,\u201d and the stellar album closer \u201cSeparation.\u201d\u00a0 These particular songs made me see just why Jakko was such a perfect choice for King Crimson.\u00a0 He plays and writes with a style that is all his own but at the same time boasts and Crimson influence that he wears proudly but doesn\u2019t lean on.<\/p>\n

I know I say this a lot but it\u2019s an album such as Secrets & Lies<\/strong><\/em> that takes me on a journey.\u00a0 The lush production and soothing and at times trippy flow of the music is carried by Jakko\u2019s voice to someplace special.\u00a0 I am not a technically good musician by any measure but when I hear music in my head, this is the music that I hear.\u00a0 It is a rollercoaster of emotions and no one song mirrors another.\u00a0 They are each their own entity yet when combined creates a listening experience.<\/p>\n

Secrets & Lies<\/strong><\/em> is not background music.\u00a0 This is music that commands full attention and trust me when I say that it is very easy to give it all the attention it calls for.\u00a0 Secrets & Lies is one of the albums that I needed to hear in 2020 to remind me that I don\u2019t have to feel trapped in the reality of the chaotic world right now.\u00a0 The world of Jakko Jakszyk is a mystical and magical place to be and it\u2019s a place that I look forward to visiting many, many times in the future.<\/p>\n