I have been pretty excited to hear the full album from Emanuel and the Fear. They had a demo track, Jimme’s Song, leak a bit early, and I gotta say, this has kept me going on many a hum-drum day.

I can’t stress how amazing Jimme’s Song is, with its glitchy electro vibe over acoustic guitars and passionate vocals. It would be hard to convince someone to listen to it based on a verbal description, but everyone I’ve played it for has had their jaw drop and their head explode
The album however, is a bit… surprising.

First, much of the glitchy goodness that was in the leaked demo has been replaced with polished studio work. Which usually I find to be an improvement, but I miss the electro quality that is still there, but toned down. But I can’t speak for everyone, you have to ask yourself; on Sublime’s self-titles album which version of What I Got did you like? That should tell you where you stand on Emanuel and the Fear’s Jimme’s Song.

But that isn’t the surprising part. The surprising part is the rock opera / broadway musical style of the album. And at this point, I’ll be honest, I don’t know which side I’m on.

Granted, with the power of the leaked Jimme’s Song it is hard to come correct with that kind of quality. But I wasn’t expecting the album to sound like the indie version of Wicked.

Not to say that there aren’t a ton of solid tracks, and if you like musicals and indie music, this is going to be right up your alley. But I think I was looking for something a bit more… mind-blowing.

However, like I said, there are some really solid tracks, and if you study the music, you’ll hear some incredible electro percussion mixed with orchestra instruments and hard hitting guitar licks.

I’m going to showcase the two different versions of Jimme’s Song along with a really cool track that delves only slightly into the rock opera style of the album. And hot damn are those drums sick!

Emanuel and the Fear – Jimme’s Song (demo)

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Emanuel and the Fear – Jimme’s Song (Album)

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Emanuel and the Fear – Trucker Lovesong

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