jurojin the living measure of time

Released: 07 June 2010 Label: Majestic Elder Recordings

Jurojin is the Japanese God of longevity, or in this case an experimental music project based in London consisting of a rock singer, Indian tabla (drums) player, jazz bassist and metal guitarist. So, like the deity they are named after do they have the material to create a long lasting career?

To say The Living Measure of Time is eclectic would be fair. There are a definite mixture of styles and moods throughout, as to be expected from a band with such diverse backgrounds. There is certainly some heavy metal riffage going on and some interesting faster parts, this is in contrast to other sections that use acoustic guitars and tabla (which sounds just like bongos do).

There are slight echoes of Tool when it comes to the vocals and general feel of the album, which is sure to attract some listeners who like things a bit more on the experimental side. Something very noticeable is how the album chills out for a time towards the end and becomes almost relaxing to listen to. It is as if Jurojin are taking you on a musical journal from the more intense The Scars to the more mellow tones of The Dreaming, which brings everything together very satisfactorily.

by Claudia Glazzard