The Leader
Life & Arts

Album review: “Wired” by Jacob King

ANNA GAGLIANO

Chief Copy Editor 

If you’ve been feeling starved of new local music releases, it’s time you plug back in and buckle up for an entertaining ride. 

“Wired,” the most recent release from Fredonia musician Jacob King, is now available.

Album cover of “Wired”

The 28-minute-long album has eight songs all willing to take you on a journey into yesteryear. 

Each song has a twinge of tinny distortion reminiscent of rock bands from the ‘60s and ‘70s that makes one feel as if they’re driving down a dusty Nevada highway, or sitting in Eric Forman’s basement. 

King’s inspirations for the vintage rock vibes of “Wired” came from both old and new artists alike.

“During the time of recording, I was very inspired by the song ‘She’s a Beam’ by Ty Segall and Cory Hanson. I also became super inspired by the bands Osees, Deerhoof, early Grateful Dead and the new Thundercat album,” he said. 

It was musing over artistic inspirations in the first place that motivated King to write “Wired,” along with the pandemic leaving him little else to do. 

“I worked on it over quarantine just out of my lack of plans and having nothing to do… I’ve always recorded alone just out of wanting to do what my favorite artists have done, for better or worse.”

The songs have an angsty feel with equally punchy lyrics. Track six, “Goodbye,” stands out to me the most and is a fantastic representation for the feel of the whole album.

Throughout the song, King expresses his desire to bid farewell to seemingly toxic memories and behaviors, like catching a glimpse of his “evil eye.” The track closes with an anxious repetition of the lyric “Going home/ Going home/ Goodbye” as the music speeds up and becomes more intense as well, before fading into soft feedback. 

The style of “Goodbye” as well as the seven other tracks perfectly fit into King’s self-described “psychedelic garage rock” sound. The most prominent track to King, though, is the finale. 

“The last track, [‘The Kids/Your Rock N Roll Is Dead/Ego Free/Ego Free II’], is a medley of four smaller songs into one big nine-minute-long song, and I’ve always wanted to do that.”

The experimental approach King took to “Wired” has paid off for both the pleasure of listeners and for King’s own passion for his music as well. 

“I think this album has some of my favorite songs that I’ve written. I’d rarely get sick of them during the recording or editing processes, so that has been a real relief… they’re also some of my weirdest songs, which has felt very freeing to not try and write for anything besides my own enjoyment.” 

While “Wired” is already unique enough on its own, King is also offering listeners the opportunity to buy it on cassette through Fredonia’s own Foxhead Record Company.

The cassette will be a double release of “Wired” and another one of King’s albums, “Jingle Jangle.”

Months of quarantine effort from King has led to the birth of this incredibly immersive and colorful album that is as nostalgic as it is distinct in its own right.

His hope is that fans can “[have] their own ideas about the music and… connect with it in unique ways.” 

I feel like he has definitely accomplished this with “Wired,” and has gained a fan in me. Some of my favorite tracks off the album are “Goodbye,” “The Guilt Tonight” and “Not a God.”

Don’t be swayed by my opinion, though. I encourage all who’ve been itching for new music to turn on “Wired” and experience their own trip down a Nevada road as King’s art transports you to a time far away from the mess of 2020. 

“Wired” is now available on all streaming platforms.

To follow more of King’s music, find him on Instagram as @rockinjakeking, and follow @foxheadrecordco to find information on his cassette release. 

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