Indie Music Album Reviews

Jaybird Music Project - Solemn

5/31/2022

Jaybird Music Project

Solemn
self-released; 2022

By Jamie Funk

Jaybird Music Project is a music project formed by J. R. Dickson. They released Solemn which contains a whopping twenty-two songs. A lot of the songs are more like vignettes and last under a minute. There are repetitive minimalistic sound collages and a lot of which feels improvised. I’m a big fan of sound artists like Amon Tobin, Fennesz and other like-minded artists but this was an album I had to dig in deep to find some patience at times but I was ready for a challenge.

There are songs like “Floating Through” which are basically a couple sine waves appearing and disappearing or “Choir No. 1” which sounds like it’s the introduction on a song from Oneohtrix Point Never. One of the more layered songs is “Existence” which sounds like someone is walking on stairs while a synth choir is repeating two notes.

A piece like “Drones“ sounds like the effects you might have in a movie when an alien swarm arrives in a little town. A song like “Futuristic Ancient Wonder” sounds like an improvised piece on keyboard. The more ominous and moody “Echoic Memories” is cinematic but still subtle enough to feel like there could be dialogue from a movie over it.

“Heartbreaker” features some indistinguishable vocals, a cut from a song that sounds like it’s from the ’50s and some tapping.

“Machinist (feat. The Mad Machinist)” is definitely the most realized pieces in terms of musicality. There’s some organ, a backwards sounding effect and as it progresses more indistinct, disparate sounds layered on top. It’s still very repetitive with the organ going back and forth between a couple notes. “Nymphs Frolicking in the Forest” did sort of sound like the title. Solid job there.

There are some movie snippets, more choral sounds and lots of interpretive art pieces. I can’t say there were any highlights in the conventional sense since this mostly felt like sound design that was trying to be deep in a way, that makes you think. Or perhaps not.

If you are looking for musicality that is technically immersive like Miles Davis or Radiohead this won’t be for you. This reminds me more of what Andy Warhol would do by taping endless hours of a scene and releasing it. Both have their merits but it does take a certain type of individual who can appreciate this. If you’re a person who can appreciate abstract art at the contemporary art museum and see the beauty in that, it has a similar appeal. It was John Cage who wanted sounds to follow one another in a free, artless sequence, without harmonic glue. I surmise Jaybird Music Project had a similar approach and I for one can respect that.

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2 Comments

J. R. Dickson link

6/1/2022 01:35:01 am

First of all, this is great. A few things I need to clarify though. It certainly wasn't something intended to be deep. I know there are parts which make it look like that. The truth is, this is the first album I ever worked on, and my only approach was to make something I thought sounded cool. As far away from 'deep' as possible. And nothing was meant to be 'interpretive art' or anything. Again, it's just something that sounds cool. "Heartbreaker" is a little different though. There's meaning behind that one.

And yes, tracks like "Nymphs Frolicking in the Forest" and "Futuristic Ancient Wonder" were improvised pieces. I'm very much an outsider artist, I cannot read nor write music, so I rely on experimentation and improvisation. Which is why I've been gravitating towards more experimental stuff for my solo stuff (either released as J. R. Dickson or Wallace Robert Holt).

Also, I don't think you could understand how much the sort of comparison to Oneohtrix Point Never means to me. I started listening to his music after the release of this album, and it might end being an influence on me. Same with John Cage. Didn't know much, if anything, about him until after 'Solemn'. The track "Home Naturism" was inspired by his work (one of my solo releases, released via the Jaybird Music Project).

And the final thing. The song sampled in "Heartbreaker" is from the 1960's (but not released until a couple of years ago). It's "At The Blue Bunny" by The Ladybirds, the first all-female topless rock band (but not the only one, and not the only one known as 'The Ladybirds').

Anyway, I really appreciate this. This is great.

9/23/2022 01:41:59 am

Just in case anyone's tried clicking on the Bandcamp or YouTube links at the bottom and wondered why they aren't working, the Jaybird Music Project Bandcamp account was taken down by Bandcamp after someone flagged it for 'violating the terms of use'. I tried to get in touch with Bandcamp via email, but they haven't responded (account was deleted August 8th, and it's September 23rd as of writing this). I also had to delete the YouTube channel, after YouTube had removed it (it went back up after I appealled), and then caused me a lot of problems when changing thumbnails.

So, our music is now on Gumroad. This is the link for 'Solemn':
https://jaybirdmusicproject.gumroad.com/l/JaybirdMusicProject-Solemn

And some of the music can be listened to on my personal YouTube channel (a few from 'Solemn' are on there): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChShHskFNgBGCQHKmcQ_6zQ

- J. R. D. of the Jaybird Music Project

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Jaybird Music Project - Solemn

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