Sackville, NB's pop poet/spiritual adviser/zen philosopher returns with a tight, rockin' and fun set of quick ditties. This time he's all cleaned up and shaved and stuff, recording for the first time in an actual studio. Fear not, low-fi advocates, not much has changed except you can hear him better. And this is a good thing. Oh, and the other guys here sound great too, Jay Baird on bass and yes, lovely flutes (I mean it!) and Ryan Peters pounding away. Diego Medina's actual analog synths fit right in too, not some cheesy retro-80's tribute, but instead as cool solos.
Jimmie walks a fine line between easily accessible and alternative. Some of these bounce along like the silly love songs they are, like Suzy, a Junior High crush story, which has the charm of a Fountains Of Wayne song. But Swamp Magic has a crunchy guitar that would make the loudest punk proud. Actually, it would also make Neil Young proud, as the song is a tribute to the master's duality, the grunge guitar hero and the intimate acoustic whisperer. Jimmie simply puts both sides into the song, going from a piano ballad to insanely loud and then back again. Bar's Closed could be a number written by pal Julie Doiron, with its sorta-sloppy and slow start, and mournful guitar and walking-home story.
Jimmie's also one of my favourite lyricists, always ready with some homespun wisdom offered with a what-the-fuck shrug of the shoulders, since it's all going to go pear-shaped anyway. On Transistor Sister, he's pleased with his simple existence, happy that he has all he needs, and offers up a salute: "toast the sweet life/cut the ribbon with a sharp knife/break the soil with a golden shovel". He also makes the mundane hilarious, such as this piece of tour life: "I've got blisters on my fingers/Like Ringo Starr/But they're not from playing drums/They're from doing laundry/Washing out my socks in the hotel sink/Hanging them to dry while we're doing other things."
You should also check out Jimmie's new split 7-inch single, with his good pal Joel Plaskett, part of JP's New Scotland Records series of 45's. Jimmie gets one side with That's Not Joel, and Plaskett has the flip, Jimmy's Still Jimmy. And, catch him on tour with Snailhouse in June, at the following:
June 09 - Moncton, NB: Plan B
June 10 - Fredericton, NB: The Capital
June 11 - Halifax, NS: The Seahorse
June 12 - Sackville, NB: Thunder & Lightning
June 11 - Halifax, NS: The Seahorse
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