Review
Jesu
Ascension

Ah Justin Broadrick how you torture my twisted mind with your teasing Jesu EPs and side projects and reunions and remixes (dear lord does this man make a ton of music), but in this instance, Jesu finally release another proper album that people have been slavering for since Conqueror (look, Infinity really is an LP, but even Broadrick calls it an EP so it is automatically disqualified from the discussion).

In truth, we all know that Ascension will divide the masses into one of five categories: those new to Jesu which love this album and then subsequently devour the already massive back catalog, those who came on board around Conqueror and will also love this record, those who got on board the Jesu train around Heart Ache (not the recent re-issue version but the original release) or S/T and have devotionally loved each Jesu record since with a strange religious fervor, the camp that first heard Jesu around Heart Ache (again, not the recent re-issue version but the original release) or S/T and have looked forward to each new record with some objectivity, and finally, the group of people that always will say “this is nowhere near as good Heart Ache (yet again, not the recent re-issue version but the original release) or S/T, so therefore if Ascension does not sound like those than I hate it and wonder why Broadrick does not release something that sounds like Heart Ache (again, wait, I am going to stop that) or S/T.

Now, I wish I could say that I belonged to the group of Jesu listeners that started early and then looks forward to each release semi objectively; but in reality Broadrick could probably record himself defecating in a bag and release it as a Jesu record, and I would dutifully listen to it with a fiendish obsession (yes, yes call me a sick man but at least I can admit my addictions), though I might not slaver praise over such a record in the press (hopefully I would not do such a thing, but, then again, if it did sound good…). Whatever you are saying in your head now means nothing to me because finally the blissful sounds of a new Jesu album are ebbing and flowing from my stereo as we speak while I sit here with a huge smile on my face, and nothing anyone says could bring me down at this moment (well except for one thing, but I will get that in a minute or two depending on how fast you can read); Ascension has finally arrived, and my personal hunger for Jesu is sated (at least for now). There are plenty of highlights on available to drown in their syrupy sweet sounds: “December” (great song that has me hit the repeat button pretty frequently due to how easy it is to get lost in the song), “Fools” (love the familiar sounding vocal arrangement in this song), “Birth Day” (with its deliciously gloomy mood that pervades through the almost pop mode the song takes), and the beautiful “Small Wonder” (just simply a sure fire Jesu classic).

Ultimately, I believe people will rate Ascension like most seem to unconsciously do, by the worst song on any Jesu album; and in the case of this particular album, the barometer easily lays in the stylings of “Sedatives”, which takes the cake as the least of this album and may be the one of the worst tracks since “Storm Comin’ On” (the polarizing Jesu track from the Lifeline EP that features former Swans collaborator Jarboe on vocals). With this is mind, I think this data puts the album (in terms of likeability or quality) somewhere in between the Lifeline EP and the last full length Conqueror; I personally do not completely agree with those sentiments, but I will place this album beneath Conque for the time being but not so far down as to mean that this is not worth people’s time because the opposite is true. Ascension is a strong album that at times feels like Broadrick is staying the Jesu course while at others he is trying new methods to flesh out the overall Jesu sound (I cannot remember any acoustic guitars on a Jesu track prior to this record though my memory can be pretty terrible sometimes), but by and large this is most definitely a letter period Jesu album, and if you enjoyed anything from the project from Silver on, then you should find plenty here to enjoy as well.