Perfecting Loneliness

With their powerful 1998 debut, Orange Rhyming Dictionary, Jets to Brazil took some of the edge off the post-punk grind that lead singer Blake Schwarzenbach’s previous outfit, Jawbreaker, specialized in, bringing tunefulness to their emotionally draining rock. With their 2000 follow-up, Four-Cornered Night, they took all the edge off and sounded like emo-core’s answer to Billy Joel. Perfecting Loneliness does a great job splitting the difference between their two earlier releases, highlighting often gooey melodies in amongst Schwarzenbach’s tortured romantic wailings. Powerful, writhing guitar chords open “The Frequency,” then gradually pull back as Schwarzenbach sets the scene in his throaty voice: “The terror of the view/The emptiness of this room.” The rest of the album fills in this scene with sounds and sentiments bleak and beautiful enough to warrant the title Perfecting Loneliness. From furious rockers (“Autumn Walker,” “Disgrace”) to melancholy piano ballads (“Cat Heaven,” “Lucky Charm”) and mournful epics (“Psalm,” “Rocket Boy”), the Jets’ ambition knows few bounds. And while their reach inevitably oversteps their grasp, it’s good to hear them reaching.