Jo McGinley Takes Us To ‘The New Dark Ages’

We all have background stories that delivered us to where we are as a person. We now use these experiences to create our own path and some of us even create our own art. Our recent discovery Jo McGinley shared quite the story and more recently quite the album.

Myth has it he was left to fend for himself as a child. His loving mother took him to the office on the day the organization she worked for was moving out. She disappeared that day, no one knows what happened. Jo spent his early teenage years living off what was left in that office block. Jo McGinley only had his imagination for company and when, eventually, found was surrounded by beautiful, almost life-size and life-like, creatures he’d made from paper. It was like a paper zoo full of imaginary friends.

This created quite an exotic mind, very different than what has become ‘normal’ in today’s society. Jo has seemingly no desire for popularity or material things. He just wants to create are directly from his unique mind.

The result is the truly imaginative album The New Dark Ages. True to his personal style the 15 track record conforms to no style or genre norms. It is solely Jo McGinley’s mind. From the opening track ‘Adaption’ with its over 8 minute run time and mixture of samples and original instrumentation, we know this is something completely different. An influence of David Bowie can be felt.

“She The Storm” feeds off our warping mind and attacks with layered vocals and an echoed guitar tone that makes us question everything. The track builds and builds to epic heights of melodious cacophony. The title track “The New Dark Ages” continues this with sweeping sounds and noises seeming to come from every angle. Jo McGinley has us in his grasp and we can only wait for him to release us. 

On “Den Of Thieves” we believe we are escaping with a simple strummed guitar and vocals. But it was a trick. There is much going on behind the scenes. By the time we get to the closer “A Thousand Cuts” we are ready for the smooth relaxed vibe and have accepted the sonic experimentation that continues. This is an album that deserves a listen from start to finish with the realization that your ears will be taken on a journey to another state of mind. Find more from Jo McGinley HERE.