Album Review: Trying Signals The Histrionics Of Suggestion by Jetenderpaul
Released in 1997 under Velvet Blue Music, Jetenderpaul’s Trying Signals The Histrionics Of Suggestion is a curious blend of Alternative/Indie Rock and Indie Pop that feels like flipping through the pages of someone’s scattered diary. This record doesn’t just sit comfortably within its genres; it stretches them until they almost break. With Robert Cave, Jr. leading vocals, drums, percussion, and arrangements, alongside Jeff Teel's multifaceted guitar work and Jared Miller’s lush keyboard layers, this album wears its DIY ethos proudly on its sleeve.
One standout track, "The Post Colonialist Seize," kicks things off with an angular energy that feels both urgent and disorienting. It’s not your typical opener—more like a puzzle you’re thrown into without instructions. The interplay between Teel’s electric guitar riffs and Miller’s synthesizer swells creates a soundscape that’s as cerebral as it is visceral. You don’t just listen to this song; you wrestle with it. There’s something about how the melody keeps shifting gears mid-thought, refusing to settle into predictability, that makes it stick in your head long after the final note fades.
Then there’s "Pretty, Pretty Piano (Mansfield Park Edit)," which offers a sharp contrast. As the title suggests, the piano takes center stage here, but it’s no ordinary ballad. This isn’t background music for sipping tea—it’s raw, unfiltered emotion wrapped up in cascading keys. The track builds slowly, almost hesitantly, before erupting into moments of chaotic beauty. It’s hard not to feel like you’ve stumbled upon a private confession, one meant only for those who know how to listen closely.
What strikes me most about Trying Signals is its refusal to conform. Each track seems determined to carve out its own identity, even if that means abandoning cohesion altogether. Sure, some songs meander more than others, and yeah, at times it feels like the band threw everything but the kitchen sink into the mix—but somehow, it works. Maybe because it mirrors life itself: messy, unpredictable, yet oddly compelling.
It’s worth noting the artwork by Bryan Zimmerman too—a visual echo of the sonic chaos contained within. Those cryptic images seem to whisper secrets from another dimension, much like the music does.
In the end, Trying Signals The Histrionics Of Suggestion isn’t perfect. But maybe perfection wasn’t the goal. Listening to it feels less like entertainment and more like eavesdropping on a conversation happening just beyond reach. And honestly? That’s kinda refreshing. If anything, this album reminds us that sometimes the best art comes from leaning into the weirdness instead of trying to smooth it over. Who knew a record could be so stubbornly human?
P.S. If Elvis were alive today, I think he’d dig “The Last Sililoquy Of Mr. Presley.” Just saying.
