After only one look at the "style"-section, I was convinced that this band wouldn't bore me. I couldn't tell in advance whether "Big Unveiling in the Town of Dead" by Swedish prog act My Name Is Janet would be a great listen or not, but I had the feeling that there was going to be something interesting yet weird coming my way.
I haven't been particularly wrong with my prediction. "Big Unveiling in the Town of Dead" is a pretty unique album. The Swedes created a very ambient record whose influences range from synthie pop to art/psychedelic rock and partially old school heavy metal. Some passages have a jazzy feel to them as well.
I was about to call "Big Unveiling in the Town of Dead" a metal release but it really isn't. Still relatively untypical for a progressive release these days, it starts with a song called "Bandwagon For The Broken Stage" which sounds like some late 80ies synthie pop song mixed with some shredding and calm, but odd vocals. The following songs prove how diversified a record can sound. It nearly seems as if the band wasn't even paying attention at sticking to its own style but just at writing great music that resulted very incidentally into a common theme. I'm convinced that this is not how it worked, but that's how it sounds like, and easygoingness is always good.
Although this record is a surprisingly pleasant listen for a second full-length release, I'd like to point out that the band still needs a bit more intensity. I got downright lost while listening to it, mostly because of the ambient synthesizer sound, which can be interpreted as positive. I always search for something gripping in an album, though.
Finally, there is a band that very obviously isn't frightened at all to experiment with every music style existing. "Big Unveiling in the Town of Dead" is not a record for everyone, so don't take your chance on it if you aren't prepared for a strange listen. But for those of you out there who are searching for a unique experimental/art rock record, this is for you.
