Jale

Jale. Haven't heard of them? That's because they only lasted from 1992 to 1997. Despite having a short career, This Band put out some really solid music. 
The Band was formed by four art students in Halifax Nova Scotia; Guitarist Jennifer Pierce, Drummer Alyson MacLeod, Bassist Laura Stein, and second guitarist Eve Hartling. This band was just so good, and honestly, I feel they never really had a bad song, just ones that are weaker compared to others.


SLOAN
This is what helped the band get started (and helped me find out about Jale in the first place.) Originally, Jennifer Pierce sung back-up vocals on some Sloan songs. Those songs were "Torn" (Peppermint EP), "Marcus Said" (Peppermint EP and Smeared), "I Am the Cancer" (Smeared), and the last one being "I Can Feel It" (Twice Removed.) Jale was supposed to be the "next big thing," but that never happened due to a short career mainly caused by arguments with Sub Pop.



AUNT BETTY 1992
Jale's debut was definitely a good one in my opinion. All three songs had distorted guitars, but also had simple yet catchy riffs. "I lied" is a catchy song with a couple of good riffs. "Twisted" is my favorite on the single with great guitar riffs and great harmonies from Eve and Jennifer. The last song "Sweetness" has some great vocal shifts between Eve and Jennifer in the chorus; "Don't me sweetness," "Don't call me," and so on.
This was a great debut and it only got better from here.

SORT OF GREY 1993
These were songs I could only get on vinyl. The first song "Brother" is sung by Jennifer and Alyson. The guitars aren't as distorted as the previous album, but it's still a good song. Eve sings the next song "Emma" which is a more heavy rock tune.

NEVER MIND THE MOLLUSCS 1993
This is a compilation of four Halifax Bands, Jale obviously being one of them. The other three are Sloan, Eric's Trip, and Idee du Nord who I've honestly never heard of. It doesn't really help that I can't find anything of theirs either.
Sloan starts off the CD with their song "Pillow fight", a nice catchy tune sung by Jay Ferguson with great guitar work. This was the only song I could listen to before buying it thanks to YouTube, so I didn't know what the rest would sound like. I certainly didn't expect Jale's song "Lung" to be the best song of the entire CD. This song is an insanely catchy tune with solid vocals from Jennifer and excellent bass playing from Laura. The best part in my opinion is when the song starts to end with beautiful harmonizing from Jennifer as the song slowly fades out. 
Eric's Trip's first song "Blue Sky for Julie" is an acoustic banjo tune which I feel is incredibly weak. Often I skip to their second song "Smother" which is catchier mainly in the chorus. Idee du Nord song "Iodine Eyes" is more metal compared to the others, but it's still a catchy tune with great work on the guitar and piano.
This CD is definitely worth owning if you're into the Halifax bands. But again, I feel that Jale's song is the only one that really stands out.

GOLD LEATHER HEEL WITH DETAIL 1993
This was another pair of Jale songs that I got on vinyl. The first side "Stepping Out" is a little more acoustic compared to their previous songs, but it's still a good tune. One again we get excellent guitars and solid vocal work from Jennifer. The second song "River" is all done on an acoustic guitar and is sung by both Jennifer and Alyson.

CUT 1993
These songs I actually got from the Japanese release of So Wound. The first side contains one of my favorite songs "Promise" which is once again sung by Jennifer with a catchy tune and solid vocals. Laura Stein finally sings lead on the song "3 Days." It's not a great tune but still worth having.

DREAMCAKE 1994
This was Jale's first full length album. Part of the album was made with new versions of some of the singles. "Promise" has a cleaner guitar sound and has also replaced the word "fuck" with "mess." And instead of stopping, it instead slowly fades out into a strange instrumental version of the song. "3 Days also has cleaner guitars but to me, it sounds a little empty compared to the original. "Emma" has heaver guitars and added vocals which were all were great additions to the song. "River" has added electric guitars and has producer Brad Wood on drums while Alyson plays acoustic guitar.
The album stars with a new song "Not Happy" sung by Alyson and ended up being my favorite Jale song with excellent vocals and an insanely catchy riff. Eve sings "Nebulous" which a good track, but I mainly like the chorus than the verses. I find the alternate version on the From Greer to Eternity compilation a little bit better. "To Be Your Friend" is a simple tune sung by Jennifer. "Again" is good but I honestly feel it's a bit messy as the track seems to go in multiple directions. "I'm Sorry" is more acoustic much like river only picking up in the chorus. "Mend" is one of the weaker tracks as the tune isn't as impressive as the others. "Unseen Guest" is another great track and has more heavy rock much like "Emma". "Love Letter" is another catchy acoustic tune, especially in the chorus and the verses in the middle.
This was an excellent Album and the most popular with fans. All the songs (except maybe "Again") are well structured and have wonderful lyrics.

*EDIT*
PROMISE EP 1994

I didn't bother talking about this since I didn't have access to the CD at the time. Part of it is because of how rare it is.

The EP starts with the Dreamcake version of "Promise". The next track is a live session of "Brother." This version is slower and only has Alyson singing lead. For me, it's not as good as the album version. This EP is also where the alternate version of "Nebulous" originated from. The only real "new" track on here is "More or Less" sung by Jennifer. It's a nice slow tune with nice guitars (though one is distorted) and a nice sounding bass. The next track is a demo version of "Steppin' Out" which is sung by Alyson and Eve instead of Jennifer. The guitars also seem a bit cleaner compared to the final version. The last track is a live session of "Promise" which sounds almost the same as the Dreamcake version except Laura's voice is more noticeable and we get some "ba ba's" at the end.

CLOSED 1995
This was the last album with Alyson as she wasn't too happy with her role as a drummer (which I find silly since Jennifer can switch to drums). This album had some of the power pop sound that would eventually be on So Wound while retaining some of the rock from their previous songs.
The first two tracks "Nine Years Now" and "Wash My Hands are the acoustic songs on the EP. Both have great riffs, mainly "Wash My Hands" showing just how well Alyson's writing is. "Jesus Loves Me" and "Long Way Home" are the power-pop songs. "Jesus Loves Me" is a good tune with a catchy chorus. "Long Way Home" is the weaker track on the EP but still carries a pretty tune. The EP ends with "Double Edge" which is the only real rock song with a simple yet catchy riff and great vocals from Eve and Jennifer before they do their solos for each section.
After the EP, Alyson joined the Hardship post when their drummer Matt Clarke left. (Sebastian Lippa actually knows drums leaving Alyson to play bass.)

HEY HEY 1996
After Alyson left the band, the remaining three got Mike Belitsky. I wasn't too fond of this change because while they still had some good songs, they're much weaker compared to their previous material. This is when the band transitioned into a power pop sound.
The first track begins with the main song "Hey Hey", a catchy little jingle from Jennifer but still could be a little stronger as well as her next song "All Ready." The CD version added three more tracks: "Leave It Alone", "Coincidence", and "Bluestreak." "Coincidence" is sung by Eve but was actually written by Mike. I consider this to be the weakest track on the disc as it doesn't have much substance. Laura's two songs are much more rock compared to the rest. "Leave It Alone" is a nice tune with some nice harmonizing from Jennifer. The best track for me is "Bluestreak" as it recaptures the original sound with an insanely catchy heavy riff and distorted guitars, especially in the chorus with excellent vocals and harmonies.
This wasn't their best work and sadly didn't change with their last full length album.

SO WOUND 1996
This was their Last full album. Sadly, many of the songs are quite weak. One of the reasons I think this happened is because of the lack of Alyson as she helped write many of the songs mainly on Dreamcake.
"Ali" is a catchy tune and became the most popular track. "Hey Hey" and "All Ready" reappear without any changes. Most of Eve's songs are alright but only really pick up in the Chorus. "Tumble" has some nice vocals from Eve and Jennifer. "Storm" sounds more country and is only really catchy in the chorus with Eve and Jennifer singing "I'm not going out toniiiight!" "Back on Track" is one of Eve's weaker songs as it's a little bland. The last track "Superstar" is an alright end to the album as all three girls sing "Aaa-ha-aaah-ah-haaa I'm a superstar" in the chorus. After 15 seconds, the ghost track "Sorry sentimental" plays which is another bland tune. Jennifer's two other songs are "Over You" and "Despite." "Over You" is another bland track. "Despite" is a catchy duet with Jennifer and Mike (who sounds similar to Chris Murphy from Sloan in my opinion.) Laura's songs are the only ones that stand out for me as once again they're more rock than pop, and include catchier riffs. "Sign of Life" rambles a little like "3 Days" but has a catchier tune. "Blue" and "Mosquito" are faster paced and contain decent vocals. "Drag" is her only weak track as it's yet another bland song.
So Wound received a lot of praise, but for me it doesn't leave much of an impact compared to their previous albums.

SONGS FOR A RIVER 1996
Pet-Kout-Koy-Ek: Songs for a River was a benefit CD released to help save the Petitcodiac River. It contained 20 tracks each from a different artist. After listening to "Never Mind the Molluscs", I expected Jale's song to be the most impressive on the CD. While "Traditional" is a nice tune, it's still weak compared to their previous material. Eric's Trip and Idee du Nord return. Both bands make nice rock tunes on this disc. The Hardship Post appears as well and is probably their only song recorded with Alyson. "The Hole" is sung by Mike pick. Like "Traditional", it's good but not that impressive.

JALE 1997
This was Jale's last album as Eve Hartling became pregnant and left after recording the two songs.
"True What They Say" is sung by Laura and is her only acoustic track ever, but it's still has a catchy riff and great vocals. "From a Still" is sung by Mike. This shows how weak his writing is compared to the girls. While it still has decent vocals, the overall tune is kind of bland.

THE VEES 1997
This CD is incredibly rare and was actually hard to get. After Eve left the band, the remaining three members decided to continue on as The Vees. Unfortunately, they only made one EP. Once again, I think this is because of the missing members. It's saddening because they still made some very good songs.
Jennifer starts the EP with "Chicago Lights" which is a beautiful tune. "A" is another rock song from Laura and is my favorite track, especially with the excellent guitar solos. "Denied" is sung by Mike. Once again, it's a bland song but it does contain nice vocals from the ladies. Jenner's song "Seven Thirty" is more upbeat than "Chicago Lights". The EP ends with Laura's "Circumstance" which kind of rambles on but still contains a bit more substance than "Denied."

AFTERMATH
Aside from Jennifer, Laura, and Mike appearing of Joe Pernice's album Chappaquiddick Skyline in 2000, the members of Jale each went their separate ways. Mike Joined with the Sadies, Alyson formed a band with Sebastian called Speedo (who sadly didn't make any releases), Eve decided to paint, and Laura actually married Joe Pernice. As for Jennifer, one person on a message board said she was a teacher in Toronto. I honestly think they would have lasted longer if at least Alyson stayed. It's really sad to see a band with such potential disappear so quickly.