SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JAE AMENDS – II, ETERNITY

Jae Amends
ii, Eternity
Independent

ii, Eternity is the latest release by Jae Amends, also known as singer-songwriter-producer Doug Haynes. Best known as the singer and guitarist with the alt-pop band HIGHS, Haynes has created a truly unique work with this solo project. On ii, Eternity, he presents a cycle of deeply personal songs.

ii, Eternity  was written and recorded by Haynes over a number of months, and he enlisted the help of a few heavy hitters in the music community, on production and post-production duties. Contributing to the Jae Amends project were Juno Award-winning recording engineer James Bunton who mixed the album, and Heather Kirby who did the mastering work. Additional production work was done by Cayne Mackenzie and Paul Vroom.

Diverse in sound and style, the music on ii, Eternity rather defies genre categorization. Although influences such as pop, hip-hop, soul, and electronica can be heard here, one would be hard-pressed to hang a specific genre tag on this album. It is truly a pastiche of sounds from start to finish. Witness the first song, “Unforgiveable”, which starts with the sound of footsteps on pavement, a car engine starting, and a lo-fi recording of simple guitar strums behind Haynes’ emotive tenor. This gives way to a section of muffled, bass-heavy R&B, before we hear the car door open and close, and footsteps walking away. This is unexpected. It is not music in the conventional sense, and is certainly not a typical leadoff album track. But it is does pique interest, and makes the listener want to know what will happen next.

What happens next is a journey filled with songs whose lyrics variously evoke stream-of-consciousness, spoken word, and epistolic styles. It is sonically exciting, with varied sounds and rhythmic, rapid-fire refrains that drive home Haynes’ memories, thoughts, and feelings. The production of the songs is often full-blown, but the core of the song is never far. An example of this can be heard in the track “Marlboro”, where the powerful main theme drops out and the artist performs with only guitar and vocal, drawing the listener in.

The “pros” of this album are many, but there are a few “cons” to consider. ii, Eternity can be challenging to listen to, and will not be everyone’s cup of tea. It is far from conventional, and is not the type of musical fare normally reviewed on these pages. But presenting something challenging is the point. Haynes is not here to sing us a breezy pop song, or to try to be our friend. He has something that he needs to say. He bares his soul, and it might get uncomfortable, but his songs are pure emotion. Doug Haynes’ music on ii, Eternity comes from a place of true art and total honesty, and makes for compelling listening.

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