Jeremy Jay is tall, blonde, and may or may not be described as “cherubic,” physical descriptors that are rarely applied to the short, dark, scruffy nature of indie rock. This alone is enough to wrap Jay in a blanket of mystery, fitting for the style of music he creates; however, throw into the mix his East Coast prepster wardrobe, his Angel Town roots, this picture, and you begin to wonder, "is this guy for real?"
Like a sweeter, clean-cut Jonathan Richman, Jay doesn’t really sing; rather, he sort of talks in melody. With the addition of sparse instrumental arrangements, and an atmospheric quality that recalls the feeling of restrained intimacy, Jay is at once paying homage to classic acts like the Velvet Underground and Joy Division (“[Had they] done soundtrack work for John Hughes”), as well as to a new breed of minimalist lo-fi pop. Not one to provide critics with effortless categorization, Jay also cites Richie Valens, Buddy Holly and classic French musique, à la Francoise Hardy and Edith Piaf as influences.
A Place Where We Could Go is Jay’s debut full-length album (released on Calvin Johnson’s label, K Records), a collection of 10 musical “observations,” that are more like sketches than perfected compositions. The result is effective. There’s an engaging awkwardness to his songs, a self-awareness that’s audible despite the studio polish. “Heavenly Creatures” is a lullaby for urban crawlers while “Beautiful Rebel” is the antithesis—a coolly detached suggestion of radical lifestyle (and one of the few tracks on A Place that reminds listeners of Jay’s punk locale). “While the City Sleeps” finds Jay adopting a beat sensibility, from the finger snaps to the prosaic verse to the reverb-friendly delivery. It would seem contrived if not for the aforementioned self-awareness. Instead, it’s quite easy to envision Jay on stage, tucked in a way in some corner of the city, all 6’3” of him, wearing something decidedly fitted, if only to emphasis his other-worldly stature, head bent low beneath the dim lights, a twenty-first century bohemian: “he’s pure Storybook.”
A Place Where We Could Go is due in stores May 20. Jay just wrapped up a short West Coast tour (including a gig at SXSW), but will be expanding his performance stops to include more U.S. dates after the album release. Keep updated by visiting www.myspace.com/jeremyjay or Jay’s K Records artist page.
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