QUICK SPINS: Jenny And Johnny, Matthew Dear
By Michele Lenni in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 9, 2010 4:30PM
In which we take a quick look at a few recent or upcoming musical releases.
Jenny and Johnny
I'm Having Fun Now
As we usher in the end of our carefree summer into the more austere fall and the inevitable bone chilling winter months, not only does the climate make a change in the way it inspires our mood, music releases begin to exclude a sense of frivolity as well. In this transition to more autumnal sounds comes something a little unexpected, a boyfriend / girlfriend record with a more jangly and breezy point-of-view at its onset, but some politically charged lyrics that at some points rival Billy Bragg's most civic-geared rhetoric.
Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice, two artists steeped in Americana, have written songs that combine their collective talents resulting in an album that is both fun to listen to and tackles large current issues such as the economic crisis on the song Big Wave and the battle for peace in Palestine/Jerusalem. "We must modernize Jerusalem, detonate the temples, let them fight over the dust," sings Rice on the song Animal. Though the duo have collaborated often before this venture in each other's solo projects and with top billing artists like Elvis Costello, this seems to be the the most cohesive creative alliance to date. Harmony in every aspect of the word.
MP3: Jenny and Johnny "Big Wave"
In a word, Matthew Dear is an eclectic artist. He, like Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes, is a musician that thrives more during the process of metamorphosis and recreation than in resting on his creative laurels. The Texas-born, Michigan-raised artist and producer has effortlessly toggled between Detroit electronica, fist-pumping club anthems, foreboding Bowie Berlin-Period sensibilities and on his most current effort, Black City, a deep understanding of subtlety, drone and minimalism.
Although Dear's unconventional and ominous baritone vocals do not really vary in range or emotional tonality throughout the record, he aptly sets the tone for a dark and erotic journey into the lower regions of our psyche, and well, you know. Though this record lacks some of the bangers that his previous works have produced, the overall ambiance that oozes through each lascivious note and phrase makes up for something that may please most dance hall enthusiasts. During Dear's brief recording hiatus he seems to have crafted sounds that emote only the most seductive sensations on songs like "Slowdance," "Shortwave" and "You Put a Smell on Me," where Dear seductively chants "little red nightgown" in his trademark low, monotone vocals. Either way, we believe this is the make-out record of the year.