By Jason Walker
For those who don’t know who Jakub Zyteki is, he’s formerly the guitarist of Polish progressive/jazz metal outfit, Disperse. Jakub is an outrageously skilled guitarist and musician who’s hallmarks of his playing are often bursts of notes in quick succession in a fusion of jazz and funk style playing. In the wake of Disperse going on indefinite hiatus, he’s pushed forward with his own solo work which is markedly very different on the whole from his previous work.
‘Nothing Lasts, Nothing’s lost’ is the follow-up album to 2015’s ‘Wishful Lotus Proof’ and builds on this album with expanding the influences that he takes and works into his writing. Opening with ‘Somewhere Quiet’ it starts off sounding somewhere between lo-fi hip-hop and almost gospel music, part way through you can hear his trademark guitar work – so far, all very chilled out.
Following on from this you have ‘Sunflower’ which continues the chilled-out style but featuring Jakub’s guitar playing in a much more prominent context. Layering some more math-rock style playing over slow drum fills and a droning bassline, it all feels very grand and atmospheric.
‘Spring’ feels a bit more like some of the stuff you’d hear in Disperse as this brings back in much more heavy Jazz elements, it’s another fantastically serene track. This one feels a bit fuller in the way that it sounds closer to what you’d hear in a full band context. Next is ‘Good I Bad Me’ which goes right into a sort of lo-fi jamming drumbeat supporting super melodic harmonics, easily the sort of thing you could picture playing in the background of a lazy beach evening.
‘Light a Fire (Fight a Liar)’ goes straight back into the gospel-influenced lo-fi hip-hop style with dreamy layered guitar work over the top, definitely one to clap along to with the whole side-slide dancing along with it. Some crazy tasty guitar fills in this particular track, it’s a real happy one with some funky playing and crunchy riffs.
‘Creature Comfort’ continues the trend of the lo-fi backing to Jakub’s guitar work, this time with a bit more breakbeat and a very big rhythmic focus. ‘Bonsai’ is up next; as you’d probably guess from the name there’s a very distinct Japanese influence in this particular song, reminiscent of Nujabes. ‘Bonsai’ certainly shows a very interesting fusion of music styles from lo-fi, to traditional Japanese music and even some Soul. ‘Tree Climbers’, ‘Caught in a Cloud’ and ‘Grow Up’ continue the same themes that have already been very well trodden throughout the previous tracks in the way of layered, busy guitar playing over atmospheric backing tracks.
On the whole this album doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. At 39 mins, each track clocks in at roughly three-and-a-half to four minutes each so it’s not like you’ll get particularly bored of each song but I would say it’s probably not for people who dislike more jazz oriented music.
Definitely for fans of Animals as Leaders, Disperse, David Maxim Micic and Chimp Spanner.
- ‘Nothing Lasts, Nothing’s Lost’ is released on 6 December. You can get your copy HERE.
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