CD1 (Jesus): 1) Jesus; 2) Motorik Haiku; 3) Telec; 4) Swim Swim Swim; 5) Hell=; 6) Yes I Know But Thank You Anyway
CD2 (People Go Missing): 1) Telecvokning; 2) Haiku Motorik; 3) Don't Take a Swim; 4) Feel Like a Spark; 5) (untitled); 6) Just Heads Dropping
A set of two EPs: one the band's debut EP, the second a reimagination of it. Musically and conceptually intriguing.
Key tracks: "Haiku Motorik" / "Motorik Haiku"
Jesus vs People pulls together two EPs from both sides of Rubik’s debut Bad Conscience Patrol. On one side you have the debut EP People Go Missing, while the other is a set of new songs dubbed the Jesus EP, named after and tied behind the radio mix of the Bad Conscience Patrol cut “Jesus/Hypnotist”. The really interesting thing comes with the tracklists - half of Jesus features half of People Go Missing, re-envisioned and re-recorded by a now more experienced and adventurous band. What could just have been a re-release or a set of stop gap songs in-between albums is now instead a fascinating snapshot of a band in development, hinting at the future by reworking their own past.
People Go Missing managed to create a bit of a buzz around the band when it was first released, including myself, and if there’s one specific reason for that it’s “Haiku Motorik”. Early Rubik were moody and intense, coming across as a mixture of Radiohead’s atmospherics and Mew’s dynamics, and “Haiku Motorik” was where the two met perfectly. Initially propelled by a steady beat and a twinkling piano melody, it eventually explodes into a swarm of guitars, keyboards and sheer muscular power as if by a flick of a switch - and for myself and I presume for many others, that flick is the moment when Rubik went from a better-than-average MySpace act to a genuine point of interest. It’s still by and far the best thing on the EP and a highlight even in the overall discography, its primal power never getting old. It’s bookended by good company: the creeping, stop-start/quiet/loud starter “Telecvokning” gets into a good swing with its guitar-heavy choruses (it’s easy to forget how guitar-driven this band was in the early days) even if the constant pauses start eating the song away a little towards the end, while “Don’t Take a Swim” completes the great starter trilogy with its laidback lounge groove that builds up nicely during its runtime, complete with some deliciously earworm-y melodies and details. The second half of the EP doesn’t quite measure up to its first: there’s a clear focus on slow-building creep and further quiet/loud dynamics, but while the calmer “Feel Like a Spark” and the rawer “Just Heads Dropping” (as well as the untitled instrumental interlude) are fine, they’re clearly cut from a less memorable cloth than the first three songs.
Which is why it makes sense that it’s the first half that’s been chosen to go through the facelift process on the newer half of the collection. The Jesus EP foreshadows the band’s move away from the more traditional rock sound of their debut into a more developed sound of their own, toning away some of the guitars and beginning to introduce new sonic elements – in this EP’s case it mainly manifests in some electronic flavourings. “Motorik Haiku” is the clearest example as the original’s name is flipped and its sound turned into a full-on electronica/synth-pop form, with the previous structure and arrangement twisted and played around with. It’s enjoyable and groovy in its own way, but the dynamics have been smoothened out as well and the result isn’t as explosive as the original. “Telecvokning” (now just “Telec”) on the other hand gets a rekindled fire under its belly with some processed sound that underline the atmosphere, a more powerful production that really gives it an oomph and a more consistently rocking finale in place of the original’s dynamic flips. “Swim Swim Swim” keeps mostly to the original, but it speeds up the tempo into a rapid shuffle. It could go either way – I prefer the surreal chill vibe of the original but the band sound more hyped up in the remake, and they both have their strengths to an equal degree.
The last two songs on Jesus are new to the EP, but still follow the footsteps of People Go Missing by ending the suite on two slow, atmospheric dirges. Much like with the first EP as well, these are lesser works compared to the rest; though, that said, “Hell=” turns out be an understatedly pretty song that almost becomes a highlight of its own, thanks to its admittedly nifty guitar work. The apocalyptic “Yes I Know But Thank You Anyway” builds wall of sound around itself as it grows into its booming ending, but for all the dramatic bluster it still struggles to stand out. In addition to the two final songs, there’s also the lead-in track “Jesus”, originally one of Bad Conscience Patrol’s highlights with its unexpextedly softer and lusher tone. Now the extended collapse and rebuild of its middle section has been chopped off and it carries a more radio-shiny mixing courtesy of outside mixer Michael Ilbert, but it’s hardly a radical reworking and all the song’s strengths are still intact. It’s a little superfluous and out of place here, carrying little similarity to any of the other five songs, but it’s still a lovely song - and out of everything on the EP, it’s “Jesus” that would signal the band’s upcoming progression the clearest.
Neither of the two EPs are all-out great as they both fizzle out towards the end, but the inclusion of the Jesus side in the first place turns both into something more interesting than the pure sum of their parts. They’re not only just an interesting duo to compare and contrast with each other (clearly intended by the band), but it quickly yet effectively doubles up the amount of great moments. Even if they’re interpretations of the same material, they’re fully distinct enough for neither to fully overthrow the other. This is obviously a curio grab for the bigger fans and the main attraction is the re-issue of People Go Missing, but the band were kind enough to make it more than just a plain re-release.
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