*. Jolly .*

Album:  The Audio Guide To Happiness - Part 2 (2013)
Genre: Prog Rock (Crossover/Metal/Eclectic)  /  USA

Jolly is a real rising star in the world of rock music, combining elements of art pop, dark rock, progressive music and much more. After a terrible ordeal with losing their equipment in Hurricane Sandy, the band came out of that stronger than ever and released its brand new album, The Audio Guide to Happiness, part 2. Straight away you get a sense that this isn’t a typical band you’d expect to find on Inside Out. The start is almost that of an industrial band. We are then hit in the face by some power chords on the guitar. A beautiful gentle part follows, which seems to be the recurring pattern on the album – gentleness followed by aggression or vice versa. When you thought you couldn’t be surprised more, the band returns with some shattering metal riffs to take the intensity even further. Anadale’s voice adds an even more modern texture to the sound with its indie rock / new metal quality. The two Guidance interludes show Jolly capable of creating ambient pieces of real beauty as well. Lucky is on the verge of synth pop, were it not for the crunching guitars. It’s really fun observing Jolly playing around with so many genres. As Heard on Tape is another fascinating departure, with a folk motif and the use of bagpipes. The Grand Utopia brings the album to an epic close, with another wild ride on the rollercoaster of our senses. Jolly is a real sensual experience for musical epicures. You get an incredibly wide taste of their musical world. This is a band which is going places and I wouldn’t be surprised if they really make it huge in a few years. It is a real pleasure to listen to an album which is very easy to listen to and at the same time totally unburdened by any genre definitions. Review by "Rok Podgrajšek" (www.therocktologist.com).

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