Jandek - The End of It All - Review

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The bass phase was short-lived (or so it appears). The End of It All opens with a gentle electric guitar strum (haven’t heard that in about 16 albums, actually), and is similar in style to the solo acoustic albums, but with slightly different playing. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s different about it, but it might be that there’s slightly less rhythm and more abstraction, and the mixing feels more intimate (it reminds me of my own home recordings on my electric, and I actually have never felt that with an artist before - I’m convinced I’m playing the electric wrong or something). I can’t help but wish he would make another “European Jewel” instead of these meandering guitar solos, though. The vocal delivery sounds kind of exhausted and uncomfortable rather than depressed or crazy - not his best - although a few moments are more manic.

The 20 minute opening track “One of Those Moments” is about a relationship, but I find it very hard to follow. However, there are a few lines that you can pick out and relate to, which I find fascinating because Jandek lyrics are typically more about the bigger picture than the moments. I like how it ends. 

“You told everybody you liked me

You made me say I liked you

All right so you had to pull me out of me

I was so deeply buried

I needed your air

And now I feel so alive

I don’t see anything different

It must be you, I accept that

We’ll see where it leads to

If you want to touch me I wouldn’t mind

It doesn’t happen too often, this kind of thing”

“I Hadn’t Been There Before” sounds like it’s about the same relationship and it involves a very anxious description about how dangerous entering the relationship was and how it messed up his head, despite how he’s happy (or maybe it’s the woman who’s happy). Haunting song. 

“They Don’t Matter at All” continues many of the same themes and describes the singer not knowing what his lover really thinks and if she really wants to be with him deep down, because he’s the one who does most of the talking. That strikes me because, in these lyrics, we truly don’t get to see the other side of the story. 

“I Met You” is easy to follow, and I find it endearing despite the eerie soundscape. The lyrics are about the singer hoping he can figure out what to do in the relationship so they can both feel lost in each other in the same way. The lyrics’ beauty speaks for itself. Again, lots of lines that still work out of context here, which I find rare for Jandek. 

“I don’t know if there’s just the right amount

But I hope I can figure it out

And give you just the right amount so that you lose yourself

And become a part of my reality

I got a world, I found you on the periphery

Somehow I pulled you in

Now that you’re here, tell me

Is it the best place you ever know

Because I’m at the best place I ever knew

And it’s just after I met you”

I like the lyrics on this one. They’re straightforward and they connect throughout the whole album. The musicianship is ok, I’m honestly glad we’ve progressed from the bass playing to something a little bit more tasteful.

6.7/10

Essential album?: No

Essential songs:

I Met You