Party Ends

(Jape is the dude at the bottom, I have no idea who the scary guy with the cat and the Jesus eyes is)

   Every once in a while someone comes along and takes a musical medium that everyone is more than familiar with and twists it all around in some mysterious and magical way to mould something new and exciting. The way that Britt Daniel turned guitar rock on it's ear without even really changing the formula, so Jape has taken a well worn sound and made something that surprises at every turn.

   Though some of his derivatives are clear from the first note, most obvious to myself being that both his guitar and vocal stylings are pleasantly similar to the latter work of one Mr. Stephen Malkmus, he weaves a web of natural, rhythmic folk with a modern and stylish often electronic edge that is at once his and his alone. The track I've sat with the most, Floating, is a charming mix of the oh-so-hip Native American aesthetic and lazy attitude-driven vocals pulsing under a catchy acoustic guitar riff. By the time the weirdo-overdrive bass comes in for it's one note solo, you'll be sold on not only Richie Jape's talent, but also his artistic potential. After listening to his floppy, casual singing, you'll also probably marvel over the fact that this young man is actually from Dublin Ireland and speaks with the accent accordingly.

   This is one to watch, without so much as an official EP out but still opening for the likes of Super Fury Animals, Bell X1, and the Rapture, I expect we can look forward to great things.

MP3: Jape- Floating 

   And this would appear to be just a little instrumental electronic song that he put together, probably at a conference, but check out the Myspace for more great tunes:

MP3: Jape- I Spend Too Much Time at Conferences