Premiere: I Am Jack’s Broken Heart – Mr Dog The Bear (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Who is Mr Dog The Bear? It is the product of two Italian college friends. It is the sideline project of a famous musician maintaining their anonymity. It is the experimentation of a group of Japanese students. It is the secret communication between two ostracised Americans. It is based on truth, it is all a lie, it is none of the above and it is not what you think. I love the fact that even the small amount of on-line information the band/artist/studio/project has is clearly a smokescreen. But I do know that maybe if we stopped fixating on the people who make music, their every move and utterance and just embraced their product we might be in an altogether better place culturally speaking.

I Am Jack’s Broken Heart is the soundtrack to a film that is yet to be made or maybe one that exists in the head of each person listening to it. A series of instrumental statements that conjure scenes and scenarios of a fleeting cinematic memory or a glimpse of the future. Ranging from atmospheric minimalism, though slow-burning post-rock dynamic builds, to soaring anthemic crescendos, it covers a lot of ground even within each individual track.

It is music based on mood rather than message, music that depicts scenes rather than tells stories, music about images rather than ideas. It is music of the isolation tank, just exist within it, become one with it, heavy meditation, a solitary experience. Some music is aimed at the brain, intelligent and intricate, some at the heart, emotive and alluring, Mr Dog The Bear does nothing less than aim for your very soul.

Who is Mr Dog The Bear? Who cares, just listen.