ARTIST: JBM
TITLE: Not Even In July
LABEL: Self-Released
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 165kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 48m total
RELEASE DATE: 2009-05-00
RIP DATE: 2009-09-27
Track List
----------
1. Years 2:13
2. Cleo's Song 3:05
3. Ambitions & War 4:02
4. July On The Sound 6:22
5. Friends For Fireworks 5:21
6. Going Back Home 5:53
7. In A Different Time 6:08
8. From Me To You And You To Me 6:15
9. Red October 5:21
10. Swallowing Daggers 3:25
Release Notes:
http://www.myspace.com/jessemarchant
JBM is none other than Canadian Jesse Marchant, a singer-songwriter who has
previously only been heard on film soundtracks. Hopefully, Not Even In July will
change this state of affairs, as this is a real grower of an album that with the
right wind behind its sails could become this year's For Emma, Forever Ago.
Not Even In July settles into its groove early on with the delicate Years, which
mixes strings and acoustic guitar in a manner similar to the instrumental tracks
that Nick Drake used on Bryter Layter.
Years segues neatly into Cleo's Song, the first vocal number on the album.
Marchant's penchant for using echo on his vocal tracks is not a device for
masking technical deficiencies. Instead, he uses it to add an extra layer of
atmosphere to his songs, and this is fully realised here on an early standout
track. It is easy to draw parallels to JosΘ Gonzßlez and the song does eerily
evoke Heartbeats.
Not Even In July is an album that barely strays out of its default territory,
gentle acoustic indie folk that serves as a backdrop to Marchant's rich
baritone. Ambitions & War is one of the few mid-tempo numbers on the album but
the shuffling melody more than matches the vaguely anti-war rhetoric of the
lyric.
July On The Sound is another stand-out track, its sinister minor key melody
guiding a lyric that speaks eloquently of despair and regret while retaining an
air of mystery.
Like any modern singer-songwriter Marchant utilises a diverse range of musical
sources in the pursuit of a good song. Friends For Fireworks has a shuffling
rhythm section that draws on electronica, or more accurately the trip-hop of
Portishead and Massive Attack. It's oddly endearing and successful.
Marchant can also pull off straightforward singer-songwriter material, as Going
Back Home proves with its pinpoint guitar/string arrangement framing the most
affecting vocal on the album, one that seeks to give the subject of the song
'the comfort that you seek'.
In A Different Time and From Me To You And You To Me, meanwhile, aim for Neil
Young/Bob Dylan territory and don't sound out of place. Red October, meanwhile,
is a curio, drifting into ambient mode with some beautiful slide guitar adding a
classy touch to proceedings.
Swallowing Daggers end the album on a high, or as much of a high as a song
concerning a suicidal friend can offer. Marchant's delivery provides the
requisite humanity that the song needs, however, bringing the album to a close
on a note of hope.
The sad thing is this reviewer is left searching for a back story to match Bon
Iver in order to promote this album. Not Even In July easily equals For Emma,
Forever Ago in terms of songwriting and performance, but you can't help feeling
the non-descript Jesse Marchant needs a media tag line to help him rise above
the crowd.