Tobias Jesso Jr. - C/D

This guy's my biggest mystery of 2015 thus far so a C/D is in order.

In my Polaris round-up I considered him the absolute worst of the 10 shortlisted acts. To these ears, it sounds like schlock. Been said before countless times, but Randy Newman is a double-sided artist who is superficially an easy-going (through heavy-handed means), second-rate lounge singer whose substance radiates through his biting sarcasm and craftsmanship (Tobias can be forgiven the lack of musical talent but his use of "ironically" bad backup as a cover admittedly rubs the wrong way). Jesso to me is taking Newman's required shit side of his act, and leaving out everything good about it... reminds me of local musicians (I'm from BC) who sing like Tom Waits at coffeehouses and think that's enough. His songs ease through the path of least resistance with a whimper, and this comparison to Bacharach I see popping up is so out-there for me I don't even know where to start, Bacharach simply doesn't write songs like this.

I wouldn't otherwise care but he's receiving a fair amount of critical acclaim -- eg Pitchfork has given him 8.5 -- so I feel like I'm profoundly overlooking something. To be fair I don't care for Father John Misty, but in no way do I consider him a hack, it's just a matter of differing taste. Adele, Jesso's biggest cheerleader, has proven herself enough times that she hasn't luckily stumbled across a few tunes, she really is one of this decade's best songwriters. I think she's fantastic. So someone who understands songwriting better than I could ever dream, considers Tobias Jesso Jr ballin.

The heck is going on? What say you?

C/D

Neither, maybe? He's a guy I'll listen to if I hear a song, but I'm never gonna think to listen to him on my own.

she really is one of this decade's best songwriters

Not sure I agree with this premise. A capable singer, maybe, but "songwriter" is a word that gets tossed around entirely too much these days. Does she write about anything other than love, relationships, etc? Maybe this is for another thread.

As for Jesso Jr, I'm with you. The line separating this guy from James Blunt is so incredibly thin, and evoking Newman (of whom I am no rabid fan) gives this guy way, way too much credit. It depresses me to think that otherwise discriminating music people (read: not festival bros and their vacuous sorority girlfriends who are really only looking for another Damien Rice to bat a beachball around to) give the slightest shit about a guy who makes Dan Fogelberg sound like Bill Callahan in comparison. Dud dud dud.

you're crazy. he's pretty good! songwriting sounds fine to my ears. (definitely prefer his approach to adele's; not that it's relevant.)

Sad Piano Dudes are back baby! ohhh yahhhhhhhh

I'm fond of this guy's sound. My only issue is that the songs all kind of sound like sketches.

For me, that's part of the charm. I think there's alchemy in how much he achieves, in compositional integrity and stylistic evocations, with the skeletal nature of "Can't Stop Thinking About You."

I don't know if he always sounds like Newman. I feel like I'm hearing Eric Carmen in "Can't Stop Thinking About You" and "Without You." "For You" reminds me most of an obscure late '60s band called Lazy Smoke, but there has to be some broader archetype in there that I can't put my finger on.

A hideous dud.

Adam & Whimmels both totally OTM. It would just be more landfill except for the fact that people are listening to this and somehow making comparisons with Newman/Nilsson/Bacharach etc is dismaying. Are the qualities that made these artists great not actually appreciated? In the Polaris thread I compared it to Paul McCartney's throwaway b-sides like "Ode to a Koala Bear" by which I mean half-assed DIY recordings that sound like unfinished pastiches.

reminds me of local musicians (I'm from BC) who sing like Tom Waits at coffeehouses

C.R. Avery is 10x better than Jesso will ever be.

I wouldn't take offense at the comparisons even if you think his songwriting quality does not compare. I don't know how you talk about Jesso without referencing artists from that period because the extent to which it evokes them is pretty uncanny.

Also, that's something that can happen without explicit intent, so I think that tempers the notion that he writes pastiche.

Not just songwriting but also production, arrangements and musicianship. For example, the recording of the piano (eg. on "Hollywood") is awful. I mean, maybe it's supposed to be like a cheapo electric piano but if so, that is very different from the aforementioned artists' aesthetic.

First time I listened to the album I was simultaneously reading a couple of interviews with him who both made something out of the fact that he just sat down at the piano, an instrument he couldn't play, and taught himself...then low and behold this album was formed. I'm thinking "yeah, it fucking SOUNDS LIKE IT!".

Glad for this thread, anyway. I'd thought of starting a Jesso thread several times. I think "Without You" is my favorite of the singles so far. "How Could You Babe" was really good with the Roots backing him on Jimmy Fallon.

Yeah, even though the thread was started in a "wtf with this guy?" tone I'll check out now and let those that can dig it have the thread back. Just not for me. even though it should be.

First time I listened to the album I was simultaneously reading a couple of interviews with him who both made something out of the fact that he just sat down at the piano, an instrument he couldn't play, and taught himself...then low and behold this album was formed. I'm thinking "yeah, it fucking SOUNDS LIKE IT!".
― everything, Wednesday, 22 July 2015 02:25

OTFM

Hell, give 'em the thread, I'm just as interested in critical raves as seeing that I'm not alone. Who here doesn't enjoy exploring thoughts outside their own borders of taste.

Can't believe the hate for this guy. I think he sounds like Emitt Rhodes.