“On the whole I’m not one for fey youths looking like they need a square meal singing about heartaches (check the lyrics, my lord does the lad suffer) but somehow Jay’s charm and determination wins through. ”
“On the whole I’m not one for fey youths looking like they need a square meal singing about heartaches (check the lyrics, my lord does the lad suffer) but somehow Jay’s charm and determination wins through. ”
Jeremy Jay – A Place Where We Could Go
http://www.konkurrent.nl/ http://www.krecs.com/
Now and again an LP can really (for reasons unknown and certainly unpredicted) grab your attention. Jeremy Jay’s LP is such a one, despite the annoyingly winsome cover. On the whole I’m not one for fey youths looking like they need a square meal singing about heartaches (check the lyrics, my lord does the lad suffer) but somehow Jay’s charm and determination wins through. It helps that the album starts with such a strong track as Heavenly Creatures, which has a slightly deranged, almost pushy air about it. It feels a bit like Jonathan Richman’s I’m Straight and I’m glad because what I couldn’t (or indeed can’t) face was listening to yet another ever so slightly smug singer-songwriter.
Elsewhere there are Morrissey style vocal inflections on A Place Where We Could Go (the cheek of the boy!) and a slightly vampy, Lou Reed-y feel to stuff like Beautiful Rebel and While the City Sleeps. The sparse, open production helps no end. The music is always to the point and sharp and that helps immeasurably: Escape to Aspen is a great semi-acoustic strum that isn’t far away from early Aztec Camera or Go Betweens.
A very, very good release indeed. Check it out, you’ll be surprised.
Words: Richard Foster.