Leaving his punk roots completely behind him,
Blake Schwarzenbach
, former singer/guitarist for
Jawbreaker
, plays it very sweet on
Four Cornered Night
, the second record from his slightly arty indie rock project
Jets to Brazil
. His songs have always been melodramatic, even
's most fiery, emo-punk classics like
"Chesterfield Kings"
or
"I Want You."
But with
, he indulges in the sort of over-the-top sentimentality that is more reminiscent of a lengthy novel by
Proust
than anything you'd expect from a rock band. But these ballads do rock at a lazy pace, and while
"All Things Good and Nice"
is too sappy and self-centered, other numbers like
"In the Summer When You Really Know"
and
"Pale New Dawn"
are lovely, heartfelt beauties and among the best tunes
Schwarzenbach
has ever penned. With
, it is obvious that
is making exactly the sort of record he wants, and though his old punk fan base has long since fled, indie kids go bonkers over his more sensitive side, as they should. ~ Adam Bregman