Short — but good vibes are everlasting.
In the Deluxe release of All Cylinders, Yves Jarvis adds five more songs to the album, bringing it to a total of 16 tracks. The vibes are chill, the vocals are sweet and the songs are brief. If any aspiring musician is looking for a song for their next ukulele cover, this album might just be the perfect find.
The album starts off strong, a quick run across the drums beginning “With a Grain.” It flows with a rollicking, driving melody, striking in how the instruments flow right into each other. The longest track on the album, it sits at 3:30 with vocals waiting until almost a minute before coming in. A bell rings out to beckon Jarvis’s voice to the song, and the sound moves more rock as he sings. Brief layered guitar strums emphasize his words while the inclusion of chimes keeps that soft whimsical vibe from the beginning.
The title track opens with horns, before falling back into a lazily syncopated beat. A low synth keyboard acts as the call for the response of layered vocals “spreading good tidings.” The message of this song comes out as Jarvis drops the title: “I rush to reach you before it’s too late / Firing all cylinders of this V8.” He creates a panicked atmosphere in the lyrics, sharply contrasted with the jazzy tune playing. Jarvis begs that he’ll do “Anything to take you under my wing,” as laidback electronic notes plink along.
One of the new songs, “Silver KG,” feels very acoustic compared to most of the tracks. There’s a single guitar and stripped back drums with Jarvis’s voice standing alone over the instruments. As it goes on, more instruments start to fade in gently, with background vocals humming along as an electric guitar pops up. There’s even a brief hint of supportive horns in the background. They drop out as Jarvis sings the last line, “Has anyone seen / My silver KG?”
Another new number, “Man In His Pomp,” stands apart from most of the tracks as it opens with vocals, before being joined by muted electric strums. This song feels very cool-guy-that’s-sooo-relatable, making the title ring so true as the song finished out with him repeating the vain phrase, “Man in his pomp / Man in his pomp…”
Every song on this album holds a gentle charm in its honeysuckle-sweet blend of folk and R&B. The only downside is how short all of the songs are, most of them barely scraping past the two-minute mark. Yves Jarvis displays a gorgeous range of sound, even though it leaves you wanting more.
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