Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Music / Jesu

Go To

1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jesu_5335.jpg]]
2
3Jesu is a British [[DoomMetal Drone Metal]] / {{Shoegazing}} band consisting of Justin K. Broadrick (also of IndustrialMetal band Music/{{Godflesh}} and formerly of Music/NapalmDeath), Diarmuid Dalton, and Ted Parsons.
4
5The band is known for their lengthy, surprisingly soothing "metalgaze." Broadrick's lyrics are both personal and political, and somehow work for the genre. Shoegazing is known for being difficult in making a message in the music, seeing as vocals are usually not really worked with. Somehow Jesu succeeds in giving their music "something to say."
6
7Their 6 albums and several [=EPs=] have gotten critical recognition matching shoegaze legends Music/MyBloodyValentine. To say that this band is epic is an understatement.
8
9Band members (Current):
10* Justin Broadrick: Vocals, guitar, bass, electronics
11* Diarmuid Dalton: Bass
12* Ted Parsons: Drums
13
14Band members (Past):
15* Phil Petrocelli: Drums
16* [[Music/{{Isis}} Aaron Harris]]: Drums (Live)
17* Danny Walker: Drums (Live)
18* Dave Cochran: Bass
19
20Discography:
21* ''Heart Ache'' (EP, 2004)
22* ''Jesu'' (2005)
23* ''Silver'' (EP, 2006)
24* ''Conqueror'' (2007)
25* ''Sundown/Sunrise'' (EP, 2007)
26* ''Lifeline'' (EP, 2007)
27* ''Why Are We Not Perfect'' (EP, 2008)
28* ''Infinity'' (2009)
29* ''Opiate Sun'' (EP, 2009)
30* ''[[ChristmasEpisode Christmas]]'' (EP, 2010)
31* ''Ascension'' (2011)
32* ''Every Day I Get Closer to the Light From Which I Came'' (2013)
33* ''Jesu / Music/SunKilMoon'' (Collaboration, 2016)
34* ''30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth'' (Collaboration with Music/SunKilMoon, 2017)
35* ''Terminus'' (2020)
36* ''Pity/Piety'' (EP, 2022)
37
38----
39
40!! Jesu contains examples of the following tropes:
41
42* AntiLoveSong: Quite a few of their songs have this theme.
43* ChristmasEpisode: They have a Christmas EP.
44* CoverVersion: Recorded a cover of "The Funeral Party" by Music/{{The Cure|Band}} for a tribute compilation and "Chapter 24" by Music/PinkFloyd for a tribute record to Syd Barrett.
45* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Most of their album covers.
46* DroneOfDread: Shows up in some of their darker songs.
47* EpicInstrumentalOpener: Many songs, but the best is probably "Heart Ache" on the band's debut EP, which starts with a dark instrumental section that sounds a lot like Godflesh, before transitioning into a LighterAndSofter section more typical of the band, and then the vocal section. All in all, it takes about 8 minutes for the vocals to show up in the song. Other songs that use this prominently include "Sun Down", "Sun Rise", "Friends are Evil", and "Infinity".
48* EpicRocking: Many, many times. Most of their songs are over 7 minutes long, with a few surpassing 15 minutes, and the one song ''Infinity'' EP being 40 minutes in total.
49* EstablishingSeriesMoment: The debut EP ''Heart Ache'' does this with its first track, which starts off sounding a lot like Godflesh before it lightens into the band's normal, shoegazey sound, serving almost as an introduction or mission statement for the band.
50* GenreBusting: They mix together elements of shoegaze, post-metal, and industrial into a very distinctive, cohesive sound.
51* GreenAesop: "Mother Earth"
52* HarshVocals: "Man/Woman" sees Justin using the same style of harsh yells he used in Music/{{Godflesh}}, the sole instance of this in the band's discography.
53* IAmTheBand: Justin Broadrick is the only constant member of Jesu as well as the sole composer of the band, with various other members providing instrumentation either live or in the studio.
54* LighterAndSofter:
55** ''Conqueror'' is this to their debut, sounding much more upbeat and optimistic while the self-titled record had a more downcast, melancholy atmosphere.
56** The whole project can be seen as a Lighter and Softer Godflesh. Both bands share the same sonic foundations (repetitive downtuned guitar and prominent bass), but Jesu trades the bleak and menacing atmosphere of Godflesh for a warmer, pastoral sound.
57* LimitedLyricsSong: Most of their songs will just repeat a couple lines of lyrics over and over for the duration. Averted with their Sun Kil Moon collaborations, which feature Mark Kozelek's signature highly verbose lyrics.
58* LyricalDissonance: Their lyrics are quite depressing despite how soothing their music sounds.
59* MinimalisticCoverArt: Most of their album covers are simple photographs of cityscapes or nature.
60* PerishingAltRockVoice: Works surprisingly well against metal.
61* SelfTitledAlbum: Their first full length album.
62* SongStyleShift: "Heart Ache" starts as gritty industrial metal before it grows LighterAndSofter and introduces the band's sound.
63* TextlessAlbumCover: Almost all of them.

Top