From Psychedelic to Rock
Jonathan Wilson’s music has been described as falling into about four different genres of music, and his latest release Rare Birds does a good job of covering all four bases throughout the duration of the album. The album opens with the song “Trafalgar Square,” which makes it seem like the album is going to proceed as a more psychedelic rock album, which is somewhat true, but with other sounds sprinkled in. This particular song has the ability to catch the attention of any one listener because it has a certain level of complexity to the structure of the song as a whole. The tempo changes and margining of psychedelic sounds and rock sounds makes for a song that is guaranteed to not bore any listener.
“Me” is the next song on the album and it introduces a much more chill vibe through the slower tempo and stronger emphasis on vocals. This track has a somewhat dreamy vibe to it for the majority of the song until the last minute and a half when there is a complex guitar solo added on top of the airy music from before. It makes for an interesting contradiction in the music that somehow ends up working out for the better.
The vibe of the album starts to change slightly as it goes on. “Sunset Blvd” brings in a much quieter sound to the table. It is a song that is easy to get lost in, due to the chill nature of the vocals and the ability the music has to make you sway while listening without you even noticing. Wilson does a good job of capturing the attention of the listener in this slower ballad on the album.
“Miriam Montague” shows up later in the album and has a feeling to it that is similar to that of the later days of classic artists like The Beatles. The change in tempo and vocal style throughout the track is sure to keep listeners on their toes while keeping them wanting more. The use of strings during the verses really adds a nice little quirk that makes this song stand out amongst others.
The album adds yet another layer to its sound with “Hard To Get Over,” which is toward the end of the album. The addition of more electronic sounding instrumentals offers a completely different sound than what Wilson had been producing before. The vocal style even seems different than what was heard prior to it, but the mixture of these two differences makes for a fairly strong track overall. It is one of those songs that is easy to listen to because every time you do listen to it, you might find another little quirk you didn’t notice before.
The album closes on a softer note with “Mulholland Queen,” bringing the album full circle. If someone is looking for an album that will take them through multiple genres in just 13 tracks, they can look no further because Jonathan Wilson does just that in Rare Birds.
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