Every Day I Get Closer to the Light from Which I Came
Justin Broadrick usually records Jesu EPs and singles as a one-man bedroom project and brings out a full band, with drums provided by former Swans, Prong, and Godflesh member Ted Parsons, for his full-length collections. On Jesu’s fifth full-length, Everyday I Get Closer to the Light From Which I Came, that distinction is not so strict.
2011's Ascension showcased the guitar-led melancholia present on past Jesu staples, but it lacked the awe-inspiring sense of atmosphere that made Justin Broadrick's post-Godflesh guise such an alluring presence in the first place. He consciously addresses that record's shortcomings here, reinstating the right textures and moods whilst continuing to look forward. Length-wise, Closer to the Light strikes a newfound balance, its running time sitting comfortably between leaner previous EPs and epic, drawn out albums.
A review of Everyday I Get Closer to the Light From Which I Came by Jesu, available worldwide on September 24th from Hydra Head Records.
Justin Broadrick’s career can be seen as one long, slow comedown from the birth of punk.