Immortal Jellyfish is a Vibrant, Sonic Odyssey
Abigail Rodriguez Photography
his is one of my new favorite albums; Immortal Jellyfish from singer/songwriter Herman Martinez. He’s incredible, and I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t taken over the planet.
His sparkling musical style is a tangled trip into outer space. He treats every song like a raw slab of clay ready to be manipulated into a masterpiece; your typical boxed-in verse and chorus structures simply aren’t needed. This is the most beautiful chaos I’ve ever heard.
The album starts off with a beautiful instrumental intro that suddenly dives into a heavy lift off at 43 seconds in. The last thirteen seconds sounds like your spaceship just broke through the gravity zone and you’re floating—waiting for the next discovery. In Cassettes, we hear vocals with lovely harmonies. Every song is a mix of heavy and ethereal, and the changes melt into one another.. until the end when the song melts like an old cassette tape sitting in a hot car. The title fits.
The musical changes in Pink Floyd and Dinosaurs are ultra-progressive and flow like water. Introvertebrae makes me nostalgic for my teenage years and a joint. There are 18 great songs on this album, and not one of them is a disappointment. I don’t say that often, as it’s rare to find a diamond in the ruff.
Immortal Jellyfish is an amazing album that will play on for a mindfully delicious 1:10 and 32 seconds, giving you a break and allowing the world to fade away like a bad movie.
Herman Martinez is a very talented music artist and has four full albums behind him. While they’re all interesting, Immortal Jellyfish is, hands down, his best work yet. He has always attempted experimentation in his music, and this latest collection is highly evolved. I’m sure it will seduce the ears of even the most cynical music-fed highbrows. It’s an impressive rank to inherit, considering Martinez is such a humble and approachable guy.
Immortal Jellyfish
Check out Immortal Jellyfish here:
https://hermanmartinez.bandcamp.com/album/immortal-jellyfish
