Sometimes you’re unprepared for what you hear when you press “play.” That’s certainly the case with Leaving California, the wide-ranging new album from the veteran avant-folk/rock band Jack O’ the Clock. Leaving California flits from the jangly Americana metal of opening track “Jubilation— with its glorious Queen-like harmonies and off-kilter melodies—to pop-tastic vocal interplay and intense interludes on the 12-minute closing statement “Narrow Gate.” “You Let Me Down” balances on the sonic tightrope between late-period Crowded House and early Kansas, thanks to Emily Packard’s lead violin, while “The Butcher” and the angular “A Quarter-Page Ad” reveal Jack O’ the Clock’s heavy progressive and freeform jazz tendencies. The epic title track, the album’s most serious and emotional song, oozes nostalgic melancholy.
No wonder band leader Damon Waitkus refers to Jack O’ the Clock’s quirky sound as “majestic junk folk.” Each of these compositions is a magnificent example of how truly “progressive” music can bridge musical gaps and expand its audience. Even though these seven songs unfurl over 45 anxious and dramatic minutes, the album still feels too short. It also feels like a candidate for record of the year.
