Joemayk – “Animal Soul”
Joemayk is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and music producer of Venezuelan origin, who began his musical career as soloist under the name of Aaron Avanish in 1999 with his single “Dame”. In 2006 he decided to move to Madrid where he continued releasing new material like “A pasos desiertos”, “Como los gigantes” and “Contigo pa’ siempre”. In 2016 he changed direction, releasing a 7 track English language EP entitled “Love”. In 2018 he went a step further by fine tuning his style and adopting a name change which led to the album “Drive Somewhere”. Now Joemayk is back with a brand new single, called “Animal Soul”, which will also be the title of his upcoming EP of the same title, set to release in March 2019. To my ear, the sound on this single is a mix of vintage Joemayk with a new urgency and expansiveness. Very raw, and effective. I really like the organic sound of the jangling guitars and the overall honestly of the recording. A welcome installment in today’s artificially generated music.
Joemayk’s lyrics are sharp and clever as ever, and “Animal Soul” can be enjoyed on different levels depending on how closely you want to listen. You can chill to the melody, be driven by the crunch of the guitars and rhythm, or relate to the introspective and emotional lyrics. Somehow Joemayk’s music has a way of making you feel hopeful despite less than favorable things that are happening. This is a very enjoyable record that fits in well as an evolution of his catalog.
The music is stripped down to its rock-orientated essentials, and Joemayk handled the instrumentation and production to create a more true-to-himself feeling. It is a clear indicator that Joemayk is at his best when he takes this approach.
“Animal Soul” exercises song writing minimalism that keep Joemayk’s voice and lyrical narrative at the forefront beside his crisp driving guitar work and beautiful song writing. Few artists can write such simple, uncluttered songs that are overflowing with a level of soulful emotion, yet Joemayk seems to do so effortlessly.
This is Joemayk in his finest hour: exquisitely focused sonics that author an intense mood presented alongside insightful lyrical content. With a clear love of music, a keen eye for the emotional and relationship intricacies present throughout our troubled world, Joemayk weaves a spell of rock n’ roll fantasy that pushes listeners toward awareness of his sentimental story at their own pace.
As usual Joemayk’s melody is interesting…not something that sounds like anyone else. That’s one of the first things I note about every Joemayk song. Originality is key. Second, the vocals are strong. Joemayk conveys different emotions strongly and consistently with just his voice, and he doesn’t lapse into the usual mechanisms of breathy vocals that have become a staple for many singers, instead he switches registers.
Rewarding to listen to, Joemayk is a superb songwriter with a compelling voice. He is someone who should be referred to as an artist who does not personify the prevailing zeitgeist of our toned down musical times. His image, his particular intelligence, his edgy approach says it all – Joemayk belongs in a better musical era than the one we’re living in right now. “Animal Soul” is a cutting edge indie rock record, and a step forward for Joemayk.
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