REVIEW: Jake Allen — Refractions, Vol. 1 (LP)
Refractions, Vol. 1 hails from the fertile imaginations of painter Jennifer Mann and songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jake Allen. This unusual joint project is, in some ways, an exploration of the possibilities afforded by synesthesia, a rare condition when senses such as sound and color blend in improbable ways/ Those affected by the condition often report experiencing sounds as color or vice versa.
Refractions, Vol. 1 builds around it. The inspiration behind each of the musical tracks included is Mann painting a work inspired by an Allen musical composition or Allen responding in kind to Mann’s artwork. The results are impressive without skirting the line between significance and pretension.
Progressive rock certainly takes its knocks for the latter. Allen avoids that throughout Refractions’ ten tracks. He plays virtually every musical instrument in these songs, and his polymathic mastery of guitar, bass, drums, and even offbeat instruments such as dulcimer is breathtaking to hear. This brave willingness to move outside the norm makes him an ideal interpreter for Jennifer Mann’s visual gifts.
“Diamond” opens Refractions with a flourish. It is easily one of the most assertive musical moments on the release. Allen, in particular, distinguishes himself as an awesome electric guitarist capable of taking over a performance with the near-virtuosity of his playing. It’s an excellent match with Mann’s painting. Her interpretation of the color and shape of a diamond’s properties overflows with long and muscular broad strokes.
Another highlight comes with “Tiger’s Eye”. Both the painting and musical arrangement burn with palpable intensity. Mann shifts her use of color and shapes alike and prefers a more solid array of colors rather than the chaotic blend she achieves in earlier paintings. Much of “Lapis Lazuli” develops as a spartan mid-tempo jaunt before Allen dials up the intensity for its rousing finale. Mann’s splash of blue and green in her painting looks like a preconceived explosion of light that envelops the viewer in its pigmentated shine.
The colors of “Aventurine” look locked in a near-embrace and Allen’s musical input reflects the same. The music boasts a languid mood, and he foregoes any of the robust progressive rock explosiveness heard in many of the other performances. His guitar playing brings an elegiac, reflective touch to the piece that underlines that feel. “Topaz” uses several textures, acoustic, jazzy passages, and all-out prog rock muscle. The last of those textures is perhaps its most successful. Mann’s painting recalls “Diamond” in both color and design without retreading the prior work.
Refractions, Vol. 1 does not introduce alien new music sounds previously unheard, and the paintings have a frame of reference despite their fierce creativity. However, the synthesis of these mediums creates a new magic. Instead, Mann and Allen share sympathetic imaginative visions that reach far beyond their shared condition of synesthesia and testify to the unique power and communicative possibilities of two artistic souls working together. They achieve something new, and it is a gift in a troubled world. Let’s hope there is a Volume 2 forthcoming in the near future.
Colin Jordan
