Ok, so this one has taken a long time. I've been talking to Lincoln about releasing some of his tracks for about three years now! Well, that time has now come.
Some of these tracks on Earwheels have been kicking around in the consciousness of Waiheke Islanders for quite some time, most notably the track Japan, a crowd favourite that Jackson has performed live over infrequent appearances. But, for the most part, releases of Jackson’s eclectic recordings have been limited to the odd compilation CD of Auckland bands. It’s great to finally have a more extensive and accessible collection of Jackson’s material released digitally, because the problem with Lincoln has always been that his sometime quizzical songs have left audiences wanting to review them in their own time and at their own pace.
Jackson’s dadaesque lyrics and experiments with drum machines, casiotone presets, and dictaphones reveal a solo artist searching for meaning through playful experimentation, looping lyrical abstractions, melody, and a desire to capture the output by whatever means necessary. On the track The Next Day Jackson recites straightforwardly, “I guess I / will exercise / my left eye / then I’m left, I, / waitin’ for change”, demonstrating again a playful manipulation of language where wordplay and repetition have an almost spiritual impact on the listener. At other times a delicate pop sensibility emerges, like in the track Failed It Want To Cry whose verses provide a perfect balance between exasperation and hope. This is an eclectic album that deserves multiple listens, and is an album that in some ways is uniquely Waiheke!
Some of these tracks on Earwheels have been kicking around in the consciousness of Waiheke Islanders for quite some time, most notably the track Japan, a crowd favourite that Jackson has performed live over infrequent appearances. But, for the most part, releases of Jackson’s eclectic recordings have been limited to the odd compilation CD of Auckland bands. It’s great to finally have a more extensive and accessible collection of Jackson’s material released digitally, because the problem with Lincoln has always been that his sometime quizzical songs have left audiences wanting to review them in their own time and at their own pace.
Jackson’s dadaesque lyrics and experiments with drum machines, casiotone presets, and dictaphones reveal a solo artist searching for meaning through playful experimentation, looping lyrical abstractions, melody, and a desire to capture the output by whatever means necessary. On the track The Next Day Jackson recites straightforwardly, “I guess I / will exercise / my left eye / then I’m left, I, / waitin’ for change”, demonstrating again a playful manipulation of language where wordplay and repetition have an almost spiritual impact on the listener. At other times a delicate pop sensibility emerges, like in the track Failed It Want To Cry whose verses provide a perfect balance between exasperation and hope. This is an eclectic album that deserves multiple listens, and is an album that in some ways is uniquely Waiheke!
