R.I.P Brendan Theos Jolls, the latest album in collective Student Gobot Union’s extensive, Bandcamp-exclusive, experimental electronic discography, is its most conceptual, consistent, and emotional record yet.
For several years now, Student Gobot Union has been releasing singles, EPs, and albums at breakneck pace, to varying degrees of success. Their early work, starting with their debut Global Thermonuclear War EP, and of course their self-titled album SGU, were frantic, noisey shitcore, meant to grate on the ears of listeners and say “Hey. We’re here, and we can’t be ignored.” Since then, the collective settled into their comfort zone, making more frequent use of funny voice clips from Youtube, varying their palette with a wide range of sample packs, and inviting countless collaborators to add to the already disparate soundscape.
R.I.P Brendan Theos Jolls, or RIP Jolls, is SGU’s first concept album, released in the wake of the death of the collective’s long time friend, Brendan Theos Jolls. The music serves to commemorate their deceased friend, and this unifying goal is just the sort of structure that SGU needed to push their work into uncharted artistic territory.
The album starts off with a thirty second chant of the name “Jolls”, backed by a frantic breakbeat, layered with unsettling synth arpeggios, and glued together by an increasingly frequent, sharp beeping heart monitor. A noisy, layered cacophony is sharply punctuated by a final “Jolls” and a flat line, ushering Jolls into the afterlife, and Jolls friends into the following eulogy. This is where the unique structure of the album comes into play. The remainder of the tracks on the album are accompanied by a single step of “how to write a eulogy”, the step informing the theme of the song that follows.
“Step One” advises the listener to talk to the friends and family of the deceased and to find out their fondest memories. It starts with a bubbling sound, some ghostly synth chords, and the quiet ASMR voice of a girl reading from a chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. A simple drum beat and a quick whispered “hey” provide a catchy rhythm for the listener to latch onto. Towards the end of the song, way back in the mix, a man starts to scream the suicide hotline phone number, but the whisper still takes center stage, a quiet thought that won’t leave your head. We are never told how Jolls died, but this track seems to suggest that he committed suicide. Maybe we should ask his friends and family to find out.
“Step Two” tells us to gather our own thoughts and stories about the person who passed and jot them down. A voice cuts through the spacey, ethereal soundscape. “Jolls. Jolls, where are you?” “Do you remember the time we went to McDonalds and got McChickens? They forgot the bun on mine.” “Or that time that we watched Shrek 3, 3 times in a row?” The voice is that of one of Jolls friends, reminiscing on the fun they had when Jolls was alive. The initial question and dreamy atmosphere suggests that they are still in a mental haze from the sudden loss and haven’t quite come to terms with reality.
“Step Three” does not start with the step, but rather reverts back to the classic SGU sound with a quick drum beat accompanied by a repeated vocal sample about race cars. This sample is then replaced by one about “boners”. Suddenly, superstar rapper Ludacris makes an appearance and confidently states, “When I was 13, I had my first boner.” The remainder of the song is a story about getting an erection in Latin class. This is the first big laugh of the album, but it feels inappropriate considering the context. Just when the listener thinks the song will end on this confusing note, the instructional voice from before comes in, telling us that step 3 is to look through your notes for a common theme, like funny stories to share about the deceased. The boner jokes suddenly make sense - We are reminded that it’s okay to laugh, because that’s what Jolls would have wanted.
“Step Four” tells us to collect basic information about the deceased. We hear another friend of the deceased, tragically struggling to write a eulogy as he forgets the most basic information - Jolls’ name. “What’s his name again?” repeats - a desperate attempt to remember - “Jolls” answering from the void. The track ends with a chorus of different voices chanting “Jolls”. Are these other friends who do remember his name, guilting him for forgetting?
“Eternal Rest” marks the halfway point in the album. Another ethereal soundscape backs a beautiful spoken word piece from Grant T. Fresh, starting by mirroring the themes of fading memory in “Step Four”, but then shifting to a new purpose - to provide a brief moment of calm and respite from thinking about the recent trauma.
“Step Five” is all about the deceased’s “zest for life”. A lustful woman’s voice allows a glimpse into the more sensual aspects of Jolls’ life. The ending text-to-speech monologue tells us a quote from Jolls himself, showcasing his zest on full display. I am happy that “zest” was included as I feel it’s an often overlooked aspect of one’s life.
“Step Six” tells us to read the draft out loud to a friend of family member. A small voice tells us this song is to remember Jolls by. What follows is the sole instrumental of the album - a tightly choreographed dance of quick synth arpeggios and energetic drum and guitar rhythms. It is unclear what this beat has to do with reading the draft out loud. I like to think it represents an outpouring of emotion through music rather than words, as this friend of Jolls is delaying the inevitable.
“Step Seven” quickly warns us to make any changes we think are necessary and to check our remarks for errors, before launching into a repeated chant of “If I want to do it, why can’t I do it?”, answered by “God is the boss, applesauce.” Soon, a new sample enters the fray, shouting “Change it!”, a reference to making changes to the eulogy, as the step instructed. Then comes the greatest beat switch in SGU history. The word “applesauce” repeats for a couple bars, before yet another sample makes a sudden entrance, shouting “FUCK.” Then, shortly after, a pitch shifted Westboro Baptist Church parody of Panic! At the Disco’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” takes over. It is unclear where Jolls’ religious views fit into all of this. Does he think God is the boss, applesauce, or does he resent religion and just want to live his life the way he wants?
“Step Eight” is the final step, telling us to prepare to read the eulogy from memory, but to have a friend read it if you’re too emotional to read it yourself. What follows is a catchy beat made from sampling an iCarly Youtube poop in which Spencer says, “Anyone can roast beef. Nobody can pee.” Is this a panicked last attempt to not read the real eulogy? Is the reader so emotional that they would rather spout nonsense than face the truth that Jolls is dead? Or was roast beef or pee involved in Jolls’ death?
“A Eulogy for Brendan Theos Jolls” reveals that all of the songs leading up to the end have served as a window into the writing process of a literal eulogy, which Grant T. Fresh eloquently and emotionally reads over gorgeous acoustic guitar picking and quiet drums. The eulogy pulls aspects from every song on the album, even the story of getting an erection in Latin class, and the roast beef from “Step Eight”. If the album itself is a eulogy, then this is the eulogy within the eulogy - the perfect send-off for Jolls, who deserves no less, may he rest in peace.
Did you know? The word “eulogy” comes from the Greek word for “praise”.