Album Review: Jetta in The Ghost Tree - Clandestine Vol. 1

First, a bit of history:

If you recognize the name Flickerstick, you either a) were friends with me during my freshman year at Clarke College, or b) watched the show “Bands on The Run”—a proto-reality show that aired on VH1 during mid-2001. The show pitted four independent bands against one another in a kind of elimination challenge. Playing the role of the underdogs the entire time, Flickerstick came out victorious in the end, earning an A&R showcase that eventually landed them a deal with Epic Records.

Sounds neat, but in the end, it didn’t work in their favor—the band was dropped from the label less than a year after it reissued and repackaged their debut album Welcoming Home the Astronauts. Flickerstick followed it up with a live album, and EP, and a second album, Tarantula, in 2004, but by 2008, they fell apart completely, breaking up in 2009 after playing a series of farewell shows in their home state of Texas.

The band already started to show signs of wear by 2004, when original members started to depart; and according to a recent profile of frontman Brandin Lea, the band was already living a “rock n roll” lifestyle long before they were signed to a major label. He confessed that one member of the group almost overdosed while they were filming “Bands on The Run.”

It’s that profile that also details, somewhat graphically, Lea’s descent into alcoholism, his subsequent visits to emergency rooms for alcohol poisoning, his trips to rehab, and finally, his ascent to sobriety, which is where he remains today, fronting a new band—Jetta in The Ghost Tree, an outfit he formed in 2013.

The five piece’s debut release, Clandestine Vol 1, arrived last week, thanks to Idol Records—a Texas label that Lea had ties to dating back to the Flickerstick days. While Flickerstick were always a pop-rock band with art rock leanings, Jetta is a lot heavier than that. Sure, it’s no-bullshit rock music, but there’s a real psychedelic, serious weight to the music.

Clandestine works in a number of ways—the first, of course, being nostalgia for the band (and the voice) that I loved when I was young. Sure Tarantula was uneven and yes Welcoming Home The Astronauts has parts that haven’t aged well, but shit, “Coke” is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. So of course the 18 year old in me is beyond happy that Brandin Lea is back.

Flickerstick- Coke (original 2000 version from 226 Records release of Welcoming Home The Astronauts)

The second, and more widely accessible way that this album succeeds is because lyrically, it’s incredibly self-aware. Lea is writing what he knows, and in this case, he’s writing about the absolute depths of despair he fell to before pulling himself out—Painted feathers eyes that follow to the beat of a tambourine/Eight out of nine lives for me he sings on the opening, titular track. Then, later: It’s such a pleasure meeting everyone again for the first time/Was it your place or mine?

Musically, Jetta strikes a balance between the catchy and arty rock music Flickerstick was known for, and slow burning, theatrical barroom sounds—again, I guess, what Flickerstick was maybe known for. And considering that Lea nearly drank himself to death, time has been awfully kind to his voice—it still sounds amazing, and hits all the soaring highs he did nearly 15 years ago—specifically “Pontchatrain Eyes,” he proves he can still hit the notes that can give you chills, the same way he did in 2001’s “Execution by X-Mas Lights.”

This isn’t to say that Jetta is “Flickerstick 2.0” or that it’s a continuation of sorts. Sure, Lea’s voice is unmistakable to fans, but the band itself sounds different—again, that weight mentioned earlier. Sure, there are moments where they channel that early 2000s alt rock or power pop vibe—specifically the double shot of “Carswell” and “Reaction” could have fit in well into a Flickerstick album. But on the aforementioned “Pontchatrain Eyes” or the lengthy closer, “Down and Out,” Lea and company tap into a serious, melodramatic feeling that he only able to touch the surface of in his previous band.

It’s easy for me to compartmentalize the two bands—mostly because with Flickerstick, the original line up’s personalities were embedded within the music because of their affect on “Bands on The Run.” You knew about the infighting and the groupies and the partying—and you could hear it all within the songs. I don’t want to sell Jetta in The Ghost Tree short as “Brandin Lea’s new band” but there’s not that baggage with them. It’s a fresh start, with Lea being the only real “household name” outside of the Dallas area. And for a band formed less than two years ago, they sound incredibly tight and polished, working well with a veteran practically destroyed by the music scene.

I have no pretentions that this album is, like, life affirming or anything—or that it’s anything more than what it is. It’s a well produced record: it sounds crisp and well balanced, with lots of studio trickery on vocal tracks and some nifty guitar effects tossed in as well. The songs are hook-driven, like any good pop songs should be. For me, it’s almost a total nostalgia trip, and more than anything else, it’s a welcome return and it’s personally comforting to know that at least one of the members of a band I loved when I was a different person is still alive, is now well, and is still making music.

Even with his demons, Lea and Jetta in The Ghost Tree have made an album that’s ultimately a fun listen—similar to his work with Flickerstick. Clandestine Vol 1 proves that in a marketplace that’s saturated with forgettable and tepid “rock” bands, there are still a few of those worth paying attention to, and this is one of them.

Clandestine Vol 1 is out now direct from Idol, and will be available via other outlets next month.