Jon James
Jon James & The Trashcan Fantasy Danceband
© 2003 Pound-o-flesh Music (789577130524)
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ASTRO-POP BOMBAST: Glammy, Kinky & Starry-Eyed ... Jon James melds sweet, soaring melodies with gritty, blast-from-the-past guitar hooks
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JON JAMES & THE TRASHCAN FANTASY DANCEBAND
999 Manifesto Records [2003]
Produced by D. B. Curtis & Jon James
THE SORDID PAST:
After years of laying in wait and silently honing his own fits of perversion, Jon James - the Twin Cities' favorite sideman and sleeper guitar whore - finally steps up to the vocal mic with his debut solo release, Jon James & The Trashcan Fantasy Danceband. James has previously collaborated with an array of Minnesota artists, including Kristin Mooney (Peter Himmelman), Brynn Arens (FLIPP), Johnny Clueless, Patrik Tanner & the Faraway Men, Heidi Jo Lang, Ryan Lance (The Blenders), King Size, Bellaswan and Days of Four.
FILE UNDER:
Astro-Folk Bombast
(Dugan & Pamela say Jon sounds like, "AM Gold on Acid." Feel free to trip out and sing along.)
"It can't be rock music," says Jon. "That stuff's all for posers and wannabes. Folk music is where it's at, Jack. Music for the people. This entire CD cherade started out in D.B.'s attic with a 1966 Melody Maker and a broken beatbox."
And yet, mysteriously, the CD really does sound quite loud and spaced-out. Psychedelic, sensual and - of course - preposterous, Jon offers sweet & sour three-minute anthems that meld elements of Brit Invasion, '70s Glam and Power-pop. A careful study in bi-polarity, the record is as timely as it is utterly anachronistic. It lambastes the state-of-the-state by relentlessly poking fun at insipid pop trends, yet winds up sounding imminently "pop-ish." The sound is big & expansive, gleefully embracing the spirit of modern rock production, but Jon keeps it all in check by offering spontaneous performances and a refreshing lack of digital processing. "We didn't have the budget or proper gear - let alone the attention spans - to fudge every track with multiple takes, edits and gizmos," says James. "For the most part, we just stuck with whatever ended up on tape. But we did have 32 tracks to work with ... and endless piles of cocaine."
THE HYPE:
Despite the tongue-in-cheek sensationalism, as noted by Splendid E-zine, "James is [actually] well acquainted with the highly unglamorous lifestyle of a striving, workaday rock band. He's done time in several such bands over the years, but on his new solo album he suspends his disillusionment with the business of making music and embraces the sort of far-out rock star fantasies only a starry-eyed teenager could take seriously. James plays [almost] every instrument in his Trashcan Fantasy Danceband in an attempt to approximate the bright, arena-ready power pop he would make in the 'dream band' he's never been able to assemble."
reviews
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- author: Joel Criner
Jon James has made a beautifully melodic, reflectively sad, and joyfully fluttering music experience. His comforting, dreamy vocals are immediately immerging, and his music has a way of making you feel like a participant--like maybe we're ALL in his band when it's playing on the CD machine..."(So Far) Off Broadway" is my favorite track, but all the songs are great, each, together, making up a contiguously continuous, whole experience that will transport you, and perhaps incite you to create some dreamlike place of your own that James hasn't yet seen or imagined. And although the imagery and music is potent, it is not demanding. While listening, certain phrases and sounds set me off on my own for a bit. After a few seconds, when I returned back to the song, it seemed to be sitting there ready and waiting for me to hitch back on. What a great album. When is he gonna make the next one? How can I help?
One of the best (ever).
author: Jim C.Reminds me a bit of Bowie on Ziggy Stardust. Guitar parts make my arm hairs stand up. In particular, check out American Dream and Atom Bomb.
Fantastic songs by unknown songsmith
author: PHILIPPE THIVILLIERThis is one those records that, once discovered, makes you wonder how unfair life is... Truly gifted artists like JON JAMES don't get the hearing they deserve while hundreds of better-known yet untalented musicians get signed and pollute the airwaves and music magazines. This CD is literally replete with fantastic songs that any fan of, say, Tal Bachman, Matthew Sweet or Michael Penn is bound to adore. Great from start to finish.
- author: St. Cloud Times (Minnesota)
I have a sneaking suspicion that this little pop rock gem of an album is going to end up among my favorite discs of the year. To sum it up, the release is an ambitious effort to create a fantasy rock album – the type of thing most upstart rockers wouldn't dare touch. But James dared and, most importantly, succeeded in creating a jewel. From the catchy opener "Turn It On/High on a Flashback" to the hilarious closer "Atom Bomb," James is untouchable. (Karl Leslie)
- author: Splendid E-zine
Jon James is well acquainted with the highly unglamorous lifestyle of a striving, workaday rock band. He's done time in several such bands over the years, but on his new solo album he suspends his disillusionment with the business of making music and embraces the sort of far-out rock star fantasies only a starry-eyed teenager could take seriously … "Peel It Off" in particular is sweet and soaring and capable of standing up to repeat listening. (Scott Jacobsen)
Album of the Month, May 2003
author: Past & Present Music (Denmark)There's no doubt that there is being released a lot of really good independent music worldwide these days, but it doesn't happen very often that a self-released album actually is chosen as the album of the month from the 50 or thereabout CD's reviewed in every issue in Past and Present Music. There might have been self-released albums that have deserved that honor in the past, but it hasn't happened since we started choosing the album of the month. Until now, that is, as there's a first time for everything … "Turn It On/High On Flashback" is one of the best songs I've heard all year … I love it. Enough said. (Hans Jakup Eidisgard)
- author: South of Mainstream
Each song shines in a Weezer-like construction of pop gleam … an album that requires more listens and more thought than a conventional pop album demands … pick up James' record and pay attention.
- author: Pop Culture Press
Jon James is a one-man-band indie pop guy, and a talented one at that … an excellent collection of well-crafted pop songs, lyrically smart and musically polished … with songs about speed queens and Britney strip fantasies, there's not a whiff of self-involved, whiny singer/songwriter music to be found … far better than most current self-played, self-produced records … well worth a listen or ten. (Kent Benjamin)
A post glam pop rock masterpiece!
author: Dugan McNeillJon James is without a doubt the brightest new star in the heavens since the Intergalactic Touring Band! This CD is like listening to Bread on acid! A post glam pop rock masterpiece! Heavy on the hooks and fab guitars to boot! 5 great big shining stars!... Oh what the heck, let's give it 6. One this humble reviewer's favorite records of the past year.