Dig Jelly creates music instead of manufacturing it

Music has changed a lot in recent years. It’s no longer about heartfelt lyrics or creative and original riffs that keep one nodding in appreciation. Most music today is marketing pre-packaged, cookie cutter magazine ready pretty faces and tracks meant to be repeatedly sampled in clubs. Whether the songs are actually dance music selections is optional. While the bass allows for a lot of hitting and grinding on the ground, that’s all it seems to take.

So has real music gone entirely by the way of the endangered species list? You can still find quality bands out there, and experiencing Los Angeles-based Dig Jelly is one of those creative oases in the aforementioned aural desert.

Dig Jelly has been around for a few years, first starting out as the pop-rock band “Rayko” (named after lead singer Rayko), later evolving into punk rock Dig Jelly. The sound has evolved from a more pop friendly sound to something you can really bang your head with. The “Paranoize” album is the group’s second effort and offers further refinement in the group’s evolution.

Listening to the album and seeing the band play in one place are two completely different creatures. Live, the energy is raw and infectious, with Rayko taking center stage. The lead singer is not an easy entity to define. When this beautiful and tiny Japanese girl goes on stage, she can sing like an angel and scream like the devil at the same time. Her vocal range is undeniably impressive and it’s hauntingly melodic during some of the slower songs. Rayko also writes most of the band’s music and plays the guitar, proving that she is much more than just a pretty face.

However, no singer/songwriter can embody an entire band alone, and in Dig Jelly’s case, the rest of the group keeps the sound going like a well-steered ship. Whether it’s Robby Lochner’s powerful lead guitar, Rain Balen’s frenetic bass beat, or Joey Felix’s percussive grooves, the group plays as one, complementing each other’s performance with a unified sound that grows stronger with each. one of its members. members

The “Paranoize” album brings that live venue sound to their album, but now it sounds more refined, less raw. Part of experiencing Dig Jelly is feeding off the energy the members exhibit on stage, and while most of the songs have been played during the groups’ last year of shows, the strength of the music is undiminished for the album. , and still maintains a fresh air. feel. The songs are undeniably catchy, and the lyrics are insightful and deep, if one is smart enough to understand the additional personal meanings.

As with “For Your Inner Angry Child” (the group’s first outing), the music is full of catchy riffs and music that certainly keeps one’s body moving while listening. Some of the stand-out songs include the Hard hitting ‘SLAM’, the catchy riffs of ‘Time’s Up’, and a solid sample of Rayko’s vocal range on ‘Silver’ As mentioned before, fans of Dig Jelly will be familiar with the material on the sample, but the album versions have a sense of an “alternate take” to the sound. There are a few small differences, but it really works on this release.

With only 10 songs, the second output has some tracks less than the first album, but the quality of the music up for it. Is a comforting sign that there are still bands that are really interested in “creating” music, rather than simply “produce it”. If there is some common sense in the world of music, we would be hearing more music like this on radio waves rather than thinly disguised commercial masquerading shamefully as “music” these days.

“Paranoize” is a solid second effort from Dig Jelly, and the only way one couldn’t get into the hard-hitting sound is if they were paralyzed or dead inside.

Highly recommended.