Review Summary: Overlooked gem hearkening back to Tim Kinsella's past in Cap'n jazz.
Tim Kinsella has rarely made Cap’n Jazz fans happy. Although I doubt he loses too much sleep over this, many kids who cling onto their copy of Analphabetapolothology certainly have. The raw honesty of Tim’s out of tune screams and the loud yet intricate musical backdrop gave birth to one of emo’s forefathers. The band has spawned many like sounding bands in their wake. Some of these bands have even gone as far as to name their band after Cap’n Jazz songs. Although all the members of Cap’n Jazz stay respectively busy with their own projects and collaborate from time to time it hasen’t ever really been enough to satisfy these old fans. The first EP that Make Believe put out should satisfy this need.
Where Owls took the members of Cap’n Jazz in a more indie rock direction Make Believe, comprised of Joan of Arc members, is louder, faster, and more aggressive than anything Tim Kinsella has put out since Cap’n Jazz. That said though, it’s not the same as the previously mentioned band. The lyrics range from quirky to downright odd and the instrumentation is light years better. Sam Zurick’s guitar work alone is reason enough to check this out and if you liked his work in Ghosts and Vodka and Joan of Arc records then this is for you. The drums are also extremely on point with Nate Kinsella creating an interesting, distinct rhythm for each song on the record. Tim yelps and screams over all of this just like the good old days but with a much more mature outlook in both his lyrics and the way he uses his voice chords.
There isn’t a bad song on this record and if you search around youtube long enough you should be able to find one to preview. The reason I will not get into the individual songs besides being somewhat lazy is because I’d rather people just seek them out and draw their own conclusions. Any song is a good representative of the vibe conveyed throughout the course of the EP. I also want to make note that other Make Believe songs on later records have taken on more experimental and sometimes slower song structures. This EP would be a good starting point for anyone interested in finding some good post Cap’n Jazz stuff and if you already enjoy their more current work then make sure you don’t overlook this sometimes overlooked gem.
