The Indie press just doesn't seem to understand him, which is odd because Johnathan Coulton may just be the most straightforward and earnest songwriter making music today.
Jonathan Coulton - Artificial Heart (2011) – 7.8 / 10.0
Release Date: Sept. 2, 2011
Running Time: 47:32
Label: Jocoserious Records
Producer: John Flansburgh
Genre: Indie Adult Contemporary, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Power Pop
Drug of Choice: Laughing Gas, Coffee, Sparkling Wine
Key Tracks:
"Artificial Heart"
"Today with Your Wife"
"Now I Am an Arsonist"
I was listening to an interview with Penn Jillette recently wherein Penn was discussing how irony has gone too far. We have come to the point that it is so uncool to genuinely appreciate anything that when someone does, it is confusing and foreign. I think that's a fair point and becomes relevant when considering the music of Jonathan Coulton.
From reading just a few independent music press items on Coulton, you would have to assume the man is a joke. His successful Thing A Week series is generally treated as a goof. His growing fan base seems truly a mystery to the critics. Obviously, without having them deem his music as beautiful, the only way Coulton could build a grassroots fan community must be because of the gimmick. Let me be one of many to say that is complete bullshit. The truth of the matter is that Coulton isn't a mystery at all. He is earnestly in love the music he is making and that confuses writers who prefer to exhibit their own prowess in decoding the meaningless, ironic, and pretentious.
There is a slowly growing community of artists like Coulton building their fanbase from the newly adult generation of the 90s that fully appreciates a straightforward love song, reveling in its own banality. Artists like Jon Brion, Ben Folds, and Roger Manning are becoming the true underground movement, defining the future of Adult Contemporary without much help from outlets like Pitchfork. Coulton not only fits nicely into that group, but might be the best songwriter of the bunch.
Already having drawn many parallels to They Might Be Giants for his use of humor and Pop hook sensibilities, Coulton only entrenches the comparison further on Artificial Heart, enlisting Giant John Flansburgh to helm the boards. Musically, there are a lot of similarities between the two, but the most interesting parts of this record come when he steps out of that model completely. "Today with Your Wife" sounds more like a Loudon Wainwright III song than anything else, and it is absolutely moving. "Glasses", a love song to his wife (gasp), is both mundane and brilliant. Coulton's duet with Suzanne Vega, "Now I Am an Arsonist", is my favorite recording of her in recent memory. There is also plenty of worthwhile comedy on Artificial Heart as well. "Je Suis Rick Springfield" is silly and worth the listen. Album closer, "The Stache" is a hilarious stomper one hopes is an ode to Coulton's college friend and kindred raconteur spirit, John Hodgman.
Johnathan Coulton is undeniably listenable, whether Arcade Fire fans like it or not. He is unapologetic about the banalities of his own life and successfully finds wonder in those simple everyday things. To me, that makes him more honest and likable than ninety percent of the music being made today. He is one of the most rare of musicians happily accepting his own small role in the world and still being amazed the "you can be born in the 90s." This is an artist that doesn't need to create a myth to find genuine human interest. That level of openness is refreshing and I can only hope Coulton has more like Artificial Heart in his bag of tricks. Wherever this guy goes, I'm willing to follow.
Follow me on Twitter @ChrisBell81 and continue the conversation on Facebook.
Reviewer Stats:
Reviews - 44
Average Rating - 6.8
Highest Rating - 9.5 Blitzen Trapper's American Goldwing
Lowest Rating - 3.5 Ryan Adams' Ashes & Fire
0 comments:
Post a Comment