I would be lying if I said that nº 3 by jj was not a disappointment. It should be stated that Folkways Magazine is a publication which strives for honesty and honestly, I find myself inexplicably repelled by the large majority of this recording. Where their previous album, nº 2, was a fun and engaging collection of breezy, laid-back pop songs, this record is a boring, sulking slog through a barely endurable 27 minute run-time.
I have really struggled while writing this review due largely to the fact that I particularly enjoyed their previous album. I persistently recommended it to friends and I found myself playing it frequently during the summer. This new release embraces a general tonal shift towards a darker, less agreeable sound; as a listener, it can often be difficult to accept change for a band that you enjoy. A recent example of this is the new album by Yeasayer. I loved and endlessly championed their first LP but the release of Odd Blood left me feeling completely alienated from their terrible new aesthetic. With nº 3 , jj has accomplished this same feat with much less effort.
Feeling alienated by the new Yearsayer album is obvious due to the drastic change in their sound. The subtlety of jj’s transformation leaves the failure of this album much less definable. As the opening track, “My Life”, starts, it deceptively seems that the jj methodology is intact: a simple keyboard line is paired to a reverb—drenched female vocal but as the melody becomes increasingly minor the change in sound becomes increasingly less bearable. As the song continues I keep waiting for another instrument to kick in, something to rescue the song from the suffocating gloom of its’ ambiance. When I look up and realize that there are only fifteen seconds left in the song, I begin to lose confidence that jj are going to do anything to change my mind.
The second track, “And Now”, teases the listener with a decent introduction but as soon as the verses begin they are dragged back down into the empty vacuum which forms the center of this lifeless document. Each of the following tracks follows the established pattern. A decent intro leads to a comatose song. While the album does have a few brief moments of inspiration, they are so few and far between that their presence is irrelevant.
”Let Go”, the album’s first single has a very ‘New Age’ feeling to it which almost recalls a less dynamic Enya. I have a difficult time imagining what the potential market for a sound like this could be. Indie music has recently adopted some variable ‘New Age’ elements but they are generally juxtaposed with a slightly more relevant style. In turn, the songs are a bit too lo-fi to appeal to a traditional ‘New Age’ audience.
I do not like this album and I cannot recommend it. It is possible that this conclusion is heightened by the frustration I feel from having my expectations quashed but even if I found myself enjoying it, I would still be unsure of the group of listeners it would be appropriate to recommend it to. Basically, to be on the safe side, you should probably just avoid it.
