Jim Noir returns with his eponymous second album, technically in some ways it’s still his first. Tower of Love from 2005 was primarily a collection of his previous EP’s and some other bits and pieces thrown together. This latest release however sits together as a body of work in its own right. While reading through the press pack I’ll confess when I saw words that hinted at what might be a concept album (the word ‘prog’ was used as well), I blanched a little at the prospect.
The album revolves around the character Commander Jameson a man who is about to go into space, knowing full well he won’t be coming back before going through his life in stages (such as looking at his life as a child, and then taking an old man’s viewpoint etc). Yeah, you at the back…stop laughing!
I mean, come on its hardly original is it? Bowie must be watching with a wry smile as his influence climbs out of its box and sidles up to another new pretender. As a collection of songs there’s something muddy about this lot. Is like trying to see something through a fog, granted there is potential there and in truth are some beautiful little melodies fighting for attention. Sadly they find themselves drowned in a mire of otherwise uninspired ideas. There’s so little on this album that has an immediate appeal. Anything that is going to work on the listener is going to need some time before it gets under your skin.
Saying that though, you can tell money has been slung at the project and Noir and his cohorts have worked at crafting a distinctive sound. There’s lot of prog style whooshes and bleeps and plaintive pianos and trembling strings knocking about in places which harkens back to those mammoth albums of the seventies, so yeah…production values are high and a lot of work has gone into making this record in the musical sense, lyrically though there are times when you think he’s taking the piss (Good Old Vinyl for example), swamping a track in Beach Boys style melodies doesn’t cover up for lacklustre joys in the wordsmith department.
Jim’s clearly enjoyed himself. I was underwhelmed.
The album is out on 7th April with the single ‘What You Gonna Do’ on the 31st March.
He’s also playing at Water Rats in London and his native Manchester venue The Roadhouse on the 24th and 25th April respectively.
