From the very opening track “Welcome Commander Jameson” multi-instrumentalist Jim Noir’s self-titled second album is nothing short of being astonishingly great. With an eclectic mix of old familiar psychedelic to new electronic music, Jim Noir has made an album that conjures up bands such as The Beatles, Beach Boys, Flaming Lips, Badly Drawn Boy, and too many other styles and bands to mention. Regardless of similarities to anything else, the album stands on its own as an original.
Going back to the beginning, “Welcome Commander Jameson” quickly creeps up like a rocketship taking off with it’s sole lyrics being it’s title repeating. A great intro to an album full of quirky psychedelic washed electronic sounds that are heavily represented throughout the album. On “All Right,” the lyrics are sung by what sounds like a computer over some trippy electronic and live beats. It’s not easy to make electronic music sound warm, but here Noir not only does that but makes it sound extremely retro, but from another dimension. “Don’t You Worry” leans towards the psychedelic feel with a pop song boy band chorus “If you don’t want to be with me, what do you expect me to be?” which feels slightly awkward at first but gives the song a kitsch factor. But if I were choosing a favorite track off this album, “Ships and Clouds” would be a close first choice. Combining all the elements described above on top of harmonizing, this song is beautifully laid out. If I was floating in space, this would be my theme song! Jim Noir is an artist to look out for, and like most great artists, gets overlooked. |