Four Cornered Night

Leaving his punk roots completely behind him, Blake Schwarzenbach, former singer/guitarist for Jawbreaker, plays it very sweet on Four Cornered Night, the second record from his slightly arty indie rock project Jets to Brazil. His songs have always been melodramatic, even Jawbreaker’s most fiery, emo-punk classics like “Chesterfield Kings” or “I Want You.” But with Four Cornered Night, he indulges in the sort of over-the-top sentimentality that is more reminiscent of a lengthy novel by Proust than anything you’d expect from a rock band. But these ballads do rock at a lazy pace, and while “All Things Good and Nice” is too sappy and self-centered, other numbers like “In the Summer When You Really Know” and “Pale New Dawn” are lovely, heartfelt beauties and among the best tunes Schwarzenbach has ever penned. With Four Cornered Night, it is obvious that Schwarzenbach is making exactly the sort of record he wants, and though his old punk fan base has long since fled, indie kids go bonkers over his more sensitive side, as they should. – Adam Bregman