When an artist is named Jesse James, that’s going to grab my attention, despite the fact that I’ve never imagined the famous outlaw feeding pigeons in the park (but why not?). James’ newest album is called The Standoff, a title which also evokes the Civil War era.
James describes himself as “just an artist trying to make music” and says he mixes “elements of rock and other sub genres, some of it leaning toward metal.” That’s all the info he sent, and if you try looking up Jesse James on the internet you get not only the train robber but also many other musicians with the same name. As a result, this will be a review based totally on the music.
“Mad Science” opens the collection with guitars at 11 along with generous clouds of feedback, while James pontificates over the top like a Mad Scientist: “Don’t want to quit ’til you’re on that slab / Gonna get down, gonna give it a try / Gonna get high on my Mad Science.” Though it sounds similar to death metal, I’d more likely call this unhinged rock. I was fearful this track was indicative of the other songs to come, but was surprised and relieved to be mostly proven wrong. “Like A Trombone” quickly establishes a descending bass and snare drum motif. When the fuzz guitars appear, they’re a little less scream-y and feature recognizable chords and notes, perhaps a distant cousin to Lennon’s “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” There’s no words and just slight musical variations but it’s a pleasing two minutes of rock.
With “Faces on the Wall” we move into the more standard three-to-four minute songs. James sets up a compelling rock riff against a heavy, grinding backbeat, then sings over the top with barely restrained madness. My favorite parts are when his vocals nearly match the chorus guitars, and the lead guitar’s eerie Snake Charmer vibe. In my opinion James could have added a final set of verses to really nail the landing, but this works too.
“Friend Ship” has a tricky false start (don’t get fooled!) before settling into James’ laid back, contemplative mode, mostly quiet guitars, bass, drums and vocals. I like how James often lets his lead guitar musings noodle around without any clear intent; certainly not slick but very real. Despite the home-taper vibe this is one of the most traditional songs thus far, though James tacks on a tricky false ending featuring fuzz lead guitar against a funky riff.
Next is another instrumental titled “Valkyrie” which introduces a Beatles-like piano sound, married beautifully with James’ thick slabs of fuzz and surprisingly supple lead filigrees. After a short bass solo in the middle, the arrangement builds back all the other instruments in awesome fashion. The title track “The Standoff” opens with an almost baroque four-part guitar construction, before roaring back into rock. The riffs are fast, frenetic and loud, and the vocals rush to keep up. James uses several different tones and voices to sing his packed lyric sheet, including what sounds like a meowing cat.
“Novelty” has a simple, extremely heavy three-power-chord opening not unlike Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” As it progresses, James takes the opportunity for some unhurried, somnambulistic vocals and lead guitar interjections. “Melov” combines circular guitar picking with synth overlays for a quite striking and mysterious musical stew. Not to cast aspersions on the other tracks but the compositional level here seems especially inspired. He even has a second section totally different from the first and an array of interesting sounds from the synths. Quite a journey!
“A Way Out” takes the opposite tack, combining different and quite intimate vocal strands against a simple yet compelling guitar backing. Slightly dissonant verses alternate with celebratory choruses. I’m even hearing some jazz scales! “Floptemism” is a very Beefheart-like title (see “Hoboism”). This is James again building interesting variations on a deceptively simple fuzz riff, backed up by phasing percussion and wailing fuzz lead. The closer “I Grow” continues the phasing effects and James’ many different vocal sounds for a fairly straight-ahead dark rocker. James loves to experiment but seems incapable of creating a chorus that isn’t pop-infected and even radio friendly, and that’s certainly the case here!
There’s great stuff here but my fear is that with his “famous” name, it might be hard for listeners to discover James on their own. Check him out and spread the word!
