JACK su nastali u Cardiffu prije deset godina. Do 1995 su se tražili, mijenjali postave i puno svirali i preselili se u London, dok nisu potpisali za izdavačku kuću Too Pure, za koju im je naredne godine izašao prvi album "Pioneer Soundtracks". Iako je naišao na odličan prijem kod publike i britanskih tiskovnih medija, album se slabo prodavao, a još slabije vrtio na radiju. Iznjedrio je nekoliko odličnih singlova, kao što su "Wintercomessummer", "White Jazz" ili "Biography of a First Son".

Sljedeći album, "The Jazz Age", izašao je dvije godine kasnije s ponovo odličnim kritikama i pjesmama, kao što su "Pablo", "Saturday's Plan" ili "Lolita Elle". Nakon toga razišli su se s Too Pure i ove godine snimili su odličan album "The End Of The Way It's Always Been" za malu belgijsku izdavačku kuću "Les Disques du Crépuscule". Paralelno s grupom JACK, pjevač Anthony i gitarista Matthew rade u grupi JACQUES, s kojom su izdali dva odlična albuma za Setanta Records, "How To Make Love, Vol. 1" (u suradnji s Momusom) i "To Stars".

Iako širem auditoriju nepoznata, glazba grupe JACK je atmosferična i puna orkestracija natopljenih osjećajnim textovima. Usporedbe od Scotta Walkera, preko The Triffidsa i Tindersticksa, do Echo & The Bunnymen govore same za sebe. Evo što su neke eminentnije novine rekle o JACK radovima:
"For anyone who's ever sat up through the night despairing at what a shit place this planet really is, yet longing to take themselves above it all - this band understand you soooo well." (NME)
"The breathtaking come-back album, 'The end of the way it's always been', explores bold routes for Jack, fuelled as it is by relentless rhythms and savage samples." (UNCUT)
"'The End Of The Way It's Always Been' is Jack's finest hour, positively dripping in literary aspirations and strewn with samples, narrations, actors and soundscapes." (PLAY LOUDER)
"I've always liked Jack for their songs about girls and drinking and drinking with girls and drinking because the girl had walked out (because of the drinking).... Jack are back with their best work to date by a city mile..." (DROWNED IN SOUND)
"Then there was Jacques, a Reynolds side project that also produced two albums ('How to Make Love', 'To Stars') of much sparer, introverted material which showcased Reynolds seductive crooning to even greater effect and showed once again that he is a master of both the beautiful love song and the deadpan joke." (MUSIC OMH)

pedja // 07/10/2002