ARTIST: Jason Falkner
TITLE: I'm Ok...You're Ok
LABEL: Noise Mccartney Rec.
GENRE: Rock
TIME: 54:53 min
SIZE: 72,8 MB
RIP DATE: May-06-2007
RELEASE DATE: Apr-18-2007
WEBSITE: n/a
Track List:
01. This Time 04:40
02. NYC 03:52
03. The Knew 03:22
04. Stephanie Tells Me 04:50
05. Hurricane 04:52
06. Anondah 05:06
07. Komplicated Man 03:13
08. Runaway 06:24
09. Say It's True 05:05
10. Contact 04:04
11. This Life Of Mine 04:13
12. I Don't Mind 05:12
Release Notes:
Jason Falkner's new album, I'm OK...You're OK, is
the best album that Falkner has ever made.
This is quite a claim, I know, so let me back up a
bit. His two previous full-length albums, Jason
Falkner Presents Author Unknown and Can You Still
Feel?, were better than almost anything released by
any alt-rocker in the 1990s. Full of gorgeous
melodies, pop hooks, and unique arrangements,
Falkner proved himself a capable, confident, and
extremely talented young musician. (A member of
Jellyfish for only one album, Bellybutton, and of
The Grays for only one album, Ro Sham Bo, Falkner
had already proven himself both as a songwriter and
as an exceptional bass player.)
Both ...Author Unknown and Can You Still Feel?
showcased an artist who was both unique and
comfortably consistent at the same time. His rich
voice and vocal phrasings carried from one song to
another, and his instruments were always played and
mixed with both considerable attention to detail and
an extemporaneous feel. As a friend once remarked
to me, "I've never heard a musician try so hard to
sound like he isn't trying so hard." Songs like "I
Live," "Don't Show Me Heaven," "Nobody Knows," and
"My Lucky Day" raised an already high bar: in many
ways, Jason Falkner had to outdo no one but Jason
Falkner.
Such pressure surely takes its toll. Except for a
five-track E.P. released a few years ago, Falkner's
solo album kept getting pushed back and pushed back.
He played bass for Paul McCartney, Aimee Mann, and
Beck; his skills as a session musician are
unequaled. But, sadly, Jason Falkner himself stayed
in the shadows for much of the last six years.
So what, then, makes I'm OK...You're OK such a
remarkable comeback? Partly, the album is enhanced
by the sheer technical aspect of its recording; with
the exception of drums on one track and backing
vocals on another, Falkner played all the
instruments himself. He also wrote all the songs
and produced and engineered the whole thing.
(Again, the songs benefit significantly from his
casual precision.) The melodies are intact, too:
"Stephanie Tells Me" has a beautiful, rousing
chorus, and the opening track, "This Time," loops
and weaves as Falkner builds guitars, basses, drums,
and vocal harmonies. There is always something
surprising in every Falkner song, and this album
contains twelve tracks with dozens of places where
you, the listener, will perk up your ears and say,
"Woah! I didn't see that coming! I wish I'd
thought of that!" (The Japan-only bonus track, "I
Don't Mind," is a perfect example, beginning as it
does with piano and vocals and then breaking into a
mind-bending climax of both vocal harmonies and
instrumental flourishes.)
The most wonderful aspect of I'm OK...You're OK,
however, is that Falkner brings an intimacy to his
songs that we simply don't hear nowadays. These
tracks, put together, are true, real, and beautiful,
alternating between moments of pure joy and pure
sadness. Like Beck's Sea Change, on which he
played, the emotions of this album are not
manufactured to sell records or to impress everyone
with his "lo-fi" credentials. (This album was,
incidentally, recorded without the aid of a
professional studio ? not like you could tell, as
the instruments are pitch perfect and the lower
fidelity adds to the charm and warmth of the songs.)
Jason Falkner isn't trying to prove anything. He
is simply trying to share his songs with us. His
stunning, complex, rich, and eminently enjoyable
songs.
I might as well save my money. There won't be
another album like this in 2007. Jason, you have
restored my faith in music. Thank you, my friend.
Thank you.