Brighter Than Your Future In Review

Album Review: Brighter Than Your Future by Jay Katana

Review by Joseph Timmons: IndiePulse Music Magazine

The new album by Jay Katana Brighter Than Your Future is now available, we at IndiePulse had first option at announcing the news and now, it is with great pleasure we give our review.

First, we would like to introduce the artist, Jay Katana, originally from Mondolva in Eastern Europe, Katana was recently a member of East Coast rock-metal band, Pool of Thorns, of whom Live Music Daily in Philadelphia raved, “Pool of Thorns brings beauty and passion to the raunchy high-powered metal scene.”

Jay has been a prolific writer and outstanding performer, but not too long ago, it almost all fell apart. Last spring, in a tragic accident Jay came very close to losing his left hand. “I was laying there in the hospital, waiting for surgery, and I wasn’t sure at all if I will ever play again. It felt so unfair to me at that moment. I spent all my life mastering my guitar playing, performing for people, bringing them inspiration and now it could be all over, with me not even having achieved anything of real significance. I promised myself that as soon as I got out of the hospital I would create the best guitar instrumental record ever. A record that will let the guitar shine in new colors and embrace today’s music beats and production”, said Katana in Interview.

Not letting this “second chance” to create music that would inspire and entertain, Katana became inspired to create Brighter Than Your Future, a true culmination of charismatic talent, and a technique that flows forth from this amazing artist with each breath he takes.

As a highly-skilled guitarist and performer, Jay Katana injects his signature brand of individuality into any song. With his tonal range and flawless technique, the Atlanta, GA-based musician works his signature style into virtually any musical genre. Katana’s sound is very recognizable; his leads are intense and versatile. His composing skills, performance and onstage action always give the audience a memorable experience and elevate the listener’s emotions.

With the release of Jay Katana’s debut solo album, “Brighter Than Your Future,” an album which blends the ultimate instrumental guitar experience with futuristic production of tonal harmonies and true inspiration.

In Review: Brighter Than Your Future by Jay Katana is a composition of hot popping upbeat rhythms, cool drives and melodic transits, each song blending through to the other. Being considered a Hard Rock or Metal Instrumental album really does not do justice to the collection. Each track tells a story without words, yet together it is an entire drama, a production that if listened in in different orders can mean different things.

Favorite tracks so far, I say that because I often go back to re-listen, especially when I am drawn so deep into the music, No Time 2B Sorry, When She Dies, Sands Ex and I Need You Now. That is really most of the album, now the songs Freestyler and K-Koda are great songs, but the aforementioned 4 are the most driving to me, where Freestyler and K-Koda are grooves that are short, quick and are, well un-definable, which make a review difficult, I would think that they are more transitory, taking you from the previous track to the next, keeping a thought moving. With that in mind, I will sort of back-track…

Instrumental albums have always been “long-drawn” with multiple changes in texture and often tributes to how fast can you take an arpeggio through its paces, but not so with Brighter Than Your Future, Jay takes you on a journey, a narration in sound, each note his words and voices, telling you a truth, short and sweet, taking time to get the message across with no misunderstanding, so the musical voicing is direct and the short parts are where there was nothing else to say, and what was said was said best.

Listen to the track When She Dies, you will understand.

When I reviewed the single, I said In “When She Dies” is a dark and brooding track, as an instrumental, it conveys the message of the song perfectly without words. I cannot say if this song, due to the title, is portraying the loss of a loved one, or of a moment, a relationship or of a dream. I think I can say this with some possible truth, as a man, we refer to many parts of our lives as “SHE”, from something material as a car, to something personal, like a “Muse”, something that inspires. When Jay told us of his almost severe personal tragedy and possible loss of limb, maybe this was a “what if”, the loss of his gift, his ability to play, his “Muse”, with that in mind, it takes a deeper perspective. The soulful timber and melancholy of the chord progressions and the sharp attacks on the notes make for a heartfelt and emotional response to the incredible performance he gives in this recording.”  While listening to the entire album, I found all the songs follow a similar direction, and it is brilliant.

In a prior interview leading up to this release, we asked Jay Katana to tell us about the structure and arrangements of some of the tracks on the new album. And he, in his own words, I feel describes the album best.

“The album has an intro and a koda, but in the middle is the main concept of four tracks, that take the listener for a ride all the way from heavy drum and bass track with feisty guitar chorus of “No Time 2b Sorry” to a suffering-filled ballad “I Need You Now (I Should’ve Chosen Your Friend The Night We Met)”, where I tried to imitate the voice singing with the guitar (articulating phrases and using vocal dynamics). Next goes a heavy dubstep “Sand’s Ex” with Oriental layers and “plucked” keypads. This track was written and co-produced by the incredibly talented Chris Edge from the band A Very Loud Death. And as a cherry on top (to comply all the emotional spectrum) there’s a fully acoustic piece, “When She Dies”, where the trick is that the silence and background sounds speak to listeners more than the guitar itself.”

As he continues to establish himself in the music industry, Jay is sure that his best works are yet to come. This major new release may be purchased at the artist’s website http://www.jaykatana.us, additionally, more material, music and his prior releases can be heard via his YouTube Channel and Soundcloud.