Recorded in 2019 but just now seeing the light of day, the new one from Media Jeweler is a raucous delight. The Sublime Sculpture of Being Alive, out today via Fire Talk, is one of those records that reveals an act almost too smart for their own good. While some of this nearly stumbles into Zappa territory, the majority, thankfully, does not. Fans of The Young Knives and Art Brut, for example, will find this as easy to embrace.
Opener "Brushstrokes" is as swoony as art rock can get, with sweeps of cleverness giving this a sort of odd emotional heft, while other numbers here, like "Tightrope", marry a prog-inspired sense of music, with a ramshackle attack that would make mid-period Pere Ubu happy. Media Jeweler are pretty good at making this all seem like it means more than it probably does, with the actual force of the melodies (such as they are) carrying all of this along admirably.
Some of this oddly-titled record really punches above its weight. A number like "Helicopter", for example, reveals debts owed to early XTC and The Fall, while retaining a distinctive spark. While Media Jeweler sometimes seem to be ironically pursuing a deconstruction of indie in spots on this album, they really catch fire when they commit to this stuff.
The Sublime Sculpture of Being Alive is out now via Fire Talk.
More details on Media Jeweler via the band's Facebook page.
[Photo: Fire Talk]