Album of the Week #18

Artist: Postcards From Jeff
Album: Postcards From Jeff
Year: 2014
Label: Alien Boutique

Ever since I started inviting readers of this blog to send me their music, I've been sent a wide array of music from all over the world. From the atmospheric of hip-hop of Ceiling Demons to the sun-kissed reggae vibes of Dojo, I've been more than happy to try and spread the word about some brilliant underground musical talent. But one submission this week may have topped the lot. Postcards from Jeff's self-titled debut EP is a thing of beauty, underpinned by cinematic pop soundscapes and the wonderful voice of singer Joss Worthington.

Falling somewhere between Matt Berninger's baritone, Jason Pierce's hoarse vocals and the gravelly tones of Mark 'E' Everett, Worthington's voice seems strangely familiar yet entirely unique at the same time. It also seems to take from the best of Manchester contemporary Ian Brown's husky, comforting, 20-fags-a-day voice.

Musically, the EP is backed by an ever-changing array of instruments of sounds, with orchestral strings, pentatonic piano lines and processed guitars serving up anthemic and often dramatic sonic backgrounds. Remarkably, the accomplished sound of Postcards From Jeff is brought together entirely by Worthington, who plays, records and mixes everything himself. It's a heck of an achievement to bring so many influences into a cohesive piece of work, but the part-time producer has certainly managed it here.

It's kicked off by A House, an anthemic opener which sets the tone for the rest of the EP. Wandering synths soon give way to a backdrop of pounding drums and acoustic guitars, the familiarity of Worthington's voice a suitable accompaniment to his honest and homely lyrics. It's melancholic and one of the standout songs that I've heard so far this year. Veronica follows suit, the ode to a former lover laying bare the honesty of Worthington once more: I'm like a sick rabbit/in the mouth of a dog.

The supremely-titled Agoraphobic House Party ventures more into dream territory than pop, the relatively sparse arrangement of the song making for a clear midpoint to the EP. Despite its short length, Postcards From Jeff has been put together with the sort of care normally reserved for much larger projects, from the carefully-ordered tracklist to the fittingly cinematic videos for A House and latest single Awake. And it is Awake which is the glorious closing track. With a infectious piano line leading the charge into your eardrums, it has all the hallmarks of a great pop song. Skilfully put together and masterfully executed, it is symbolic of this release as a whole.

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Three Tracks A Week

OK. An apology. I promise you one album a week. The name of this blog is 'One Album A Week', and save for a crazy few weeks in November, I've generally delivered on that ambitious promise. But, this week I can't give you what you want, and for that, I apologise. For now, I feel like I'm above all this one album a week nonsense*, so instead, I'm going to tip you off about a few awesome new songs that I've been sent instead. They span quite a few different genres, so there's bound to be something you like, nay, LOVE here.

*untrue

Dojo - Give Me Love




First up, some extremely soulful reggae from East London collective Dojo. Lead singer Khanyisa Twani left a South Africa fresh out of apartheid at the age of five for a new life here on our fair shores, and before too long she got together this quartet. Thank God she did. Give Me Love is an uplifting slice of Caribbean-inflected goodness complete with a sax solo, that AMAZING voice and chorus so catchy you'll be desperate to catch the next flight to Jamaica (geddit!?). I can feel summer coming along already...

The Assist - Speak It Aloud




Next, and a bit of indie music that distances itself way away from what you might consider 'landfill'. There's been a bit of renaissance of intelligent indie recently, and this Walsall four-piece have carried that on with Speak It Aloud. They've managed to pack a fair amount into this track - slap bass, an instrumental intro, a few choruses and an instrumental outro for good measure - yet somehow you're still left wanting more after just shy of 3 minutes. The Assist aren't messing around - this is a fat-free banger from a band on the up.

Wreaths - Goin' Back to Haiti




Don't be intimidated by that 14:50 length on this video. Firstly, the song itself is only thirteen glorious minutes long, and secondly, once you tune in you'll find it almost impossible to tune back out of this noisy, incessant psych fest. Unashamedly recalling My Bloody Valentine and Spacemen 3, this song weaves in and out of consciousness with its hypnotic bass line, pounding drums and spaced-out vocals before reaching a thumping crescendo and coming crashing back down to earth. One for the dreamers.

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