Los Angeles duo Jerkagram release their second album, the Toshi Kasai-produced Outer Limbs, on Friday. And eight-track offering, it effectively bridges a generally-pretty-wide gap between technical prog and atmospheric post-rock, the fraternal twin two-piece of guitarist/vocalist Derek Gaines and drummer/vocalist Brent Gaines developing pieces smoothly but establishing a multitudinous intent across the full-length’s span, whether it’s the serene noodling of the penultimate “Two Pillars,” on which someone sure seems to be playing bass, or the jagged earlier twists of “Cloud Builder,” which is almost straightforward in its verse/chorus structure, but even so retains a complexity in its execution that’s nigh on blinding.

Following 2014’s Tired Old Horseshit EP and that same year’s Let’s Talk About Us debut long-player, Outer Limbs begins with the whistle/snare march of “Coat of Arms,” brandishing aggressive fight-song methods as a misdirect before the 10-minute “Lyra” takes hold, devoting its first half to subdued ambience before a more insistent progression takes hold, joined by vocals, ending in a psychedelic burst of noise, horn-ish sounds and chanting to herald the dawning of some alternate Age of Aquarius before “Anteater” hits with its subtle build along a linear path based around an omnipresent central figure, swelling and getting noisier as it passes through its intro and early verses. It’s neither the first nor last moment on Outer Limbs that feels genuinely experimental in the sense of the Gaineses trying things out in the studio and seeing what sticks, but that’s not to say it lacks cohesion or underlying purpose either.

“Cloud Builder” picks up along similar noise-rock lines, its own repetitive core progression holding fast while choruses and verses play out around and on top of it, but “Three Pillars” takes that modus to another place, longer, more languid in its overall affect though between the intertwining guitar and drums (and, again, apparent bass) there’s no small degree of tension maintained as the song builds, crests and evens out in looping turns that eventually depart to let the drums finish alone. By this point in the record, Jerkagram can go just about wherever they want, and they take the sides they’ve thus far presented and bring them together on “Orphaned Origin,” spacious early but building an increasingly prevalent push that caps with a layered squiggly lead and moves into crashing final measures that give way to the pastoral, also instrumental “Two Pillars,” quiet but hypnotic in the expanding foundation of guitar.

It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Jerkagram close the album with “Empty Gesture,” bringing back the horns (or whatever they might be) from “Coat of Arms” and, before ending with a long, sustained left-the-amp-on drone, bursting into the record’s most frenetic bout of noise, drums and guitar in full assault mode for a brief but purposeful finish. Maybe that’s the titular empty gesture in an effort to resolve the tension built up over the album’s course, or maybe they just felt obligated to end with cacophony, I don’t really know. Either way, after all they’ve been through over the preceding tracks, it makes a weird kind of sense in context this all-out blurt before it’s done. What else could they possibly do?

They say that sometimes twins develop their own language, growing up so tight-knit. I don’t know if Derek and Brent ever did anything like that as kids, but their second album makes it clear they’re communicating on a wavelength of their own.

Jerkagram are on tour starting in March. Below, you can hear the track premiere for “Anteater,” and under that, find upcoming live dates.

Enjoy:

Pinning down just what Jerkagram does is no easy task. “I never know what to tell people when they ask,” explains drummer Brent Gaines, one half of the fraternal twin duo, along with guitarist Derek. The raucous twosome is influenced by a very wide array of musical styles and philosophies, from the cacophonic yet buoyant heaviness of The Melvins to the orchestral post-rock of Explosions in the Sky to the loose jazz of Sun Ra.

Starting out exclusively as an improvisational stilted noise/free rock operation from New York, Jerkagram embarked on several tours, and came to find that their free approach was naturally gravitating towards something more foundational and song-oriented. This newfound energy for song-writing lead to the band releasing two records in 2014 — full-length Let’s Talk About Us and EP Tired Old Horseshit. Following these releases was an ambitious ten-week tour around the US, where they landed in Los Angeles, ready to tickle some more earlobes with sheepish grins.

Enter the band’s new full-length album, Outer Limbs. Recorded and mixed by Toshi Kasai (Melvins/Big Business), the record is an evolutionary refinement of their melting-pot sound. Each song has a motorik sensibility behind it and seems to grow and transition organically, yet also manages to feel unhinged and unpredictable. The interplay of sturdiness and freedom inherent in their songs, as well as the dynamics of the bludgeoning drums and ambient guitars switching roles in being the driving force behind them is what makes Jerkagram such an intriguing force — they don’t imply themselves or belong to any genre, and despite this, everything is characteristic, cohesive and thematically consistent, from the Morricone-inspired opener, “Coat of Arms,” to the frenetic yet poppy, “Cloud Builder,” to the jazz-rock closer, “Empty Gesture.”

Jerkagram plans to support the record with relentless touring in 2016, where they aim to showcase their captivating high-energy performance wherever it brings them and beyond. Outer Limbs will be available on CD and download on January 29th, 2016.

JERKAGRAM is:
Derek Gaines: Vocals, Guitar
Brent Gaines: Vocals, Drums

JERKAGRAM TOUR 2016:
02/19 San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe
03/03 Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space
03/06 Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas
03/07 Houston, TX @ The Satellite
03/08 New Orleans, LA @ Circle Bar
03/10 Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
03/11 Raleigh, NC @ Slim’s
03/13 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
03/15 Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium
03/16 New Haven, CT @ BAR
03/17 Boston, MA @ O’Briens
03/18 Providence, RI @ Funky Jungle
03/19 Annandale-on-Hudson, NY @ Bard College
03/21 Montreal, QC @ L’Esco
03/23 Toronto, ON @ the Handlebar
03/25 Pittsburgh, PA @ Gooski’s
03/26 Louisville, KY @ Mag Bar
03/28 Chicago, IL @ The Burlington
03/29 Milwaukee, WI @ The High Dive
04/01 Kansas City, MO @ Mini Bar
04/03 Denver, CO @ 7th Circle
04/06 Portland, OR @ High Water Mark
04/07 Seattle, WA @ Substation
04/09 Olympia, WA @ Redhouse
04/10 Vancouver, BC @ LanaLou’s
04/13 Eugene, OR @ Wandering Goat w/ Gaselle/s/ & Paleons
04/15 Oakland, CA @ Golden Bull

Jerkagram on Thee Facebooks

jerkagram.bandcamp.com