In her fourth studio album, The Gem, Julia Jacklin shows us that you often only need two chords (maybe three max) to write a really excellent song.
The Gem, recorded in Melbourne in a studio that sits above a pub of the same name, is a dreamy collection of heartfelt, indie-folk songs all written by Jacklin. Her voice, characterized by a beautiful, airy vibrato, shines at the forefront of each track, creating powerful builds (like in the final track, “I Wish”), stunning, isolated harmonies (in “The Hardest Thing”), or gentle, stripped-down melodies (in “Angel Vision”).
Despite Jacklin’s claim in the opening track “Brand New” (Can’t afford to have an inner world; got things to do), her inner world does unfold throughout the album, with themes of relationship tension, being the god of your own life, letting your loved ones down, and feeling taken advantage of.
The album is wrought with tension: between quotidian, mundane observations and sweeping philosophical, spiritual musings; between lush sonic builds and minimalist, acoustic tracks; between internal emotional landscapes and external surroundings. If you choose just one song to read the lyrics to as you listen, let it be “If I Had the Hand of God”. Jacklin starts by observing: “Looking at my neighbour eat a peach over the sink,” then jumps to the hypothetical: “If I had the hand of God, would the God whose hand I have know not to leave you alone when you say you’re feeling sad?” In the first half, she notes “Mary sings and I feel everything”, only to end with “Mary sings and I feel nothing”.
In “Real Life”, upbeat backing percussion constrasts with a dreamy Wurlitzer that creates the perfect scenario for Jacklin to recount a dream about watering someone’s plants, only to conclude that all the plants had died. In “Walk On Me”, a shoegazey, reverb-heavy guitar creates a fuzzy haze that juxtaposes Jacklin’s wailing vocals which could exist in the universe of Angel Olsen. We feel her pain throughout the build, and especially in the final lines: When the band begins to play/ I say, “I know this song”/ You say, “Everybody knows this one”/ So why am I the only person singing along?
Though the album has no skips, I think the final track is the strongest. The Maes, Melbourne-based sisters Elsie and Maggie Rigby, lend their backing vocals to create beautiful harmonies that allow some of Jacklin’s most impactful lyrics to shine through:
Oh, I grew/ Into a new shape/ Something new/ A foreign landscape/ With no trees, not a drop of rain/ Would not believe things could grow from pain.
As the album winds down, we are left with the image of “a baby bird rais[ing] its head”, a final reminder that the tension and turmoil resolve, and that we’re going to be okay.
The Gem is out now via 4AD Records.
It’d be safe to say we’re all mad fans of Stereolab. A quick search of our archives reveals nine references to Stereolab as we introduced you to new artists by appealing to your taste in international, space-age pop. There are many more bands that aspire to Stereolab’s neu-lounge sound, but few can keep up with the quality and quantity of output. Never wandering far from their signature sound or formula, Stereolab astonishingly remains relevant and refreshing. For this, their 11th, album the band once again used Sean O’Hagan as producer and arranger. According to Tim Gane, the album began as seventy tiny drum loops on top of improvised piano and vibraphone chords. They sped up some tracks, slowed down others and worked their way to “a collection of purposefully short, dense, fast pop songs.” The track here is definitely one of my favorites from the album, a groovin’ romp where horns and organ build to bursting point, threatening to release contagiously good vibrations. All the while Ms. Sadier keeps her perennial cool, which always melts my butter.
For the past 10+ years Blonde Redhead has delivered some of the finest textured music from the indie world. Each release brings their old-world pop sounds, complete with orchestral flourishes and whispery vocals, into crisper focus. Fortunately for us, we’re at the tail end of down time between records. It’s been over two years since their last album, and it sounds like the band is in the process of recording a new record that’ll be available early next year. Too long of a drought in my opinion. But I ain’t gonna complain. Not when they’re the kind of band that enlists David Sylvian for vocal duties (for an alternate version of their song “Messenger”). I’m including the video to my favorite song from the band, “Equus,” below. For some reason the song’s buried at the end of the album Misery is a Butterfly and it’s easy to miss. Don’t miss it.