Jacob Montague: All Creatures V 1 - review by Kirk

Artist: Jacob Montague
Album: All Creatures (V1)
Genre:  Indie, instrumental, psychedelic, improvisational city of God space folke rock - or something like that.   Whatever this is, it is simply fantastical.   (Shares traits in common with Sufjan Stevens and Josh Garrels.)

Noise Trade: Free Download, fully worthy of a major tip.

Something is amiss - or a stir in the Cosmos.  This will be the second album of chilling Psalmadic beauty that I have discovered in a couple of days through Noise Trade.  This is the second album where I want to run out into the streets, grab folks by the collar and yell: 'Listen to This NOW."  A couple of days ago I discovered the gorgeous voice of Liz Vice, today I discover the otherworldly harmonies, soaring textures, and audio imagination of Jacob Montague.

The very first song explodes with so much internal color that my mind starts immediately making time-lapse videos.  The simple lyric  In Him was Light  (kind of like mixing up "I am the Light of the World" with "In Him was Life") works at such a visual level -- Replete with clarinet, Oboe? trickling piano highnotes, crashing car hoods, and something like a Moog harpsichord that, well, I am hearing rings around the Throne..

Turns out that Jacob Montague is not new to the craft.  He tucks nearly half a dozen projects under his belt.  I am just starting to listen to his canon of work right now.  But short word.  I am utterly blown away.   Not unlike my initial response to Gosh Garrels. (Note: it may be that this first body of work is all instrumental, and that this newest release is a variant with added lyrics.... but the impact is the same. I am hearing work that is at once organic, imaginative, and plugged into the heart beat of another world.  Beyond that, I have since learned that Jacob plays dozens of instruments, and builds his compositions, layers at a time.  He is his own one man orchestra (but does invite the talents of other uber talented friends.)

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At a quick glance it would appear that this little EP draws heavily from the ethos of Saint Francis... with songs like All Creatures,  Canticle for the Sun, and Sermon to the Birds.

Which in turn reminds me of this quote Franic by G.K. Chesterton.

“Now for St. Francis nothing was ever in the background. We might say that his mind had no background, except perhaps that divine darkness out of which the divine love had called up every colored creature one by one. He saw everything as dramatic, distinct from its setting, not all of a piece like a picture but in action like a play. A bird went by him like an arrow; something with a story and a purpose, though it was a purpose of life and not a purpose of death. A bush could stop him like a brigand; and indeed he was as ready to welcome the brigand as the bush.” 
― G.K. Chesterton, Saint Francis of Assisi


Since I am totally new to both Jacob and his music and cannot write much of anything yet, worthy of keeping you here much longer, I have only to point you to a much better review by Natalie So, and the works of Jacob himself.

But be prepared.  It is radiant.

His other works: Bandcamp

And a stunning video featuring some of his earlier music...



Ps.  I fully expect to write more and "better"  things about the artistry of Jacob Montague in the near future, but sometimes you just gotta shout before you know the whole story.