It was going to happen eventually. Something we don’t agree on. But it’s taken some time eh?
There’s a very late 1990s Leary ’00s sensibility to this album. That vein of songwriting that straddles the line between smartarse flippant, excellent wordplay and self depreciation – It reminds me of They Might Be Giants, Weezer, Barenaked Ladies and Warren Zevon???
It’s well played, arranged and recorded in a way that fits the style. It is very melodic. You can see how this would grab a listener with it’s pop sensibilities. The lyrical playfulness seems quite at one with the musical style. That Sublimesque bass and the slight of hand reggae touches sitting alongside the pop punk its very much of it’s time. I see how this works. Unfortunately it doesn’t resonate with the infernal miserable indie kid that lives inside me.
If you like this kind of thing I would say that this is probably somewhere up there with the best.
This #FeatureFriday, I’m cheating and picking 2 favorite tracks from our featured album by @jiminfantino.com and Jim’s Big Ego. The incredibly clever title track, and, since my discovery of the album happened because of my lifelong love of #comics, “The Ballad of Barry Allen.”
“They’re Everywhere” feels a bit like a time capsule containing the mood of the early 2000s. Considering it is over 20 years old, that is hardly surprising! Looking back, this is the kind of indie rock that was so enormously dominant in it’s day and not without reason. There is a certain honesty and a quirky humor to it, at the same time heartfelt and self-deprecating. It carries a general mood, a zeitgeist from an era where things seemed to go in an overall better direction, but societal pressure was starting to build up again. There is a lighthearted vibe to this style, slightly colored with heartbreak and disappointment. The music is very easy to follow and listen to, making this perfect live music. While I have never seen Jim’s Big Ego perform in person, I have witnessed many bands similar to them and I can vividly imagine the kind of venue and audience for this kind of music. A sensation, that honestly gives me a nostalgic feeling.
Now that I’ve talked in about the musical style in very general terms, what sets this band apart? I feel like the instrumentation is a notch above many of their contemporaries: the bass is a little bit lighter and warmer, the drummer is very dynamic and expressive in their cymbal choices and their use of effects adds that little bit of extra flexibility to their sound, while the vocals by Jim Infantino are articulate and clear, forgoing acrobatics for emotional expression. Overall, this album that holds up pretty well. The production is crystal clear and crisp, the songs sound pleasant and the themes are pretty timeless. If someone likes modern indie rock, I can wholeheartedly recommend giving this one a spin!
Florian
Previously…
The Nirvana Fallacy (or, Mania and Her Sophomore Slump) – Saint Louie
- They’re Everywhere by Jim’s Big Ego
- Smile, We’re All Gonna Die by The Cancellations
- Void by Vanessa Funke
- Rides Out by Hot Donkey #FeatureFriday
- #Feature Friday – Trauma Stew by Cynful Ukes
- Quartered: Songs of Palimpsest by S. J. Tucker
- Shapeshifer by Oblee #FeatureFriday
- Rayguns of Love by The Striped Bananas
- Mean Bone by Buzzard
- Aldona’s Daughter by Stunt Lover
- #FeatureFriday -Bandcamp Friday Issue
- #FeatureFriday – 1991 by Maisie Marra
- “Muay Thai Bag” by Foxcall
- A Place To Go When You Need To Hide by Rose Alaimo
- #FeatureFriday – And the Bones by Dr. Organ
- #FeatureFriday WIENER DEMEANOR by Cheer Captain
- #FeatureFriday – Effusion by Sweet Freeze
- Beginings Revisted by Jim France
- Recording in Progress by Aaron Smith
- Believer, a.k.a. The Last Shall Be the First