Regular readers of this blog, over the last few months will know that I am not exactly the biggest fan of music made during any lockdown period of certain artists.

Much of it seems to be self indulgent and merely accentuated the selfishness of a human condition that is capable of moaning about a few weeks of increased loneliness, whilst the grandmother of their nextdoor neighbour was barely alive on a ventilator.

As such, it may be something of a surprise to some, to see a review featuring a ‘lockdown track’, but also one made by an act intent on accentuating the fact by calling themselves The Isolation Jams.

However, this Corin Ashley / Kay Hanley based led single is defiantly different. Not different inasmuch that it is brilliant laconic power-pop (Ashley, especially, has always had a habit of that) and also not different by virtue of the fact that a harbested the fruits of modern technology and made it whilst socially distancing, as just about every artist had given that a shot recently.

Dead In The Water (video below) is different because lyrically it is exactly not self indulgent. It is a simple tale of being reminded by the pandemic of what really matters, as the song reveals memories of simple, happy times in the artistes youth, that revolved around spending nothing more than ‘time’ with a loved one of yesteryear.

The track simply reminds us that the banal worries of lofe such as ‘spreadsheets’, ‘grumbles and grievances’, ‘all judgements against us’ and the general clutter that fills our minds, do not really matter and that we should use this pandemic to obtain and retain a greater appreciation of that.

If any good comes out of this pandemic then it will be the above realisation and this particular ‘virus music’ expresses it perfectly.

Artist Links:  Bandcamp

The Isolation Jams are:

Lead Vocals and Acoustic Guitar – Corin Ashley
Lead and Backing Vocals – Kay Hanley
Bass – Adam Popick
Drums – Zak St. John
Left Guitar – Fernando Perdomo
Right Guitar – Mike Powers
Keys/ Synths – Clayton M. Janes
Other Sounds – Tom Polce