American Canyon
Self-Released, 2021
8/10
You might remember the Bay Area outfit The Jenny Thing from their ‘90s work, and though they’ve been dormant for decades, here they resurrect their New Wave sounds with the original line up of Matt Easton, Shyam Rao, Mike Phillips and Ehren Becker.
“Paper Angel” starts the listen with a punchy and buzzing pop filled display of stylish, modern and dance friendly song craft, and “All In My Head” follows with playful nods to the ‘80s as electro-pop unfolds with both melody and grit.
The title track lands in the middle and welcomes some warm atmosphere, where frisky bass work and deft drumming anchor a spacey soundtrack, while “Aeromedica” recruits plenty of ambience as background talking complements the cinematic appeal. “Lightfield”, the album stand out, then pairs soothing vocals with crisp instrumentation, and the love song benefits from some ominous synth, too.
Near to the end, “Monsters Of Mercy” uses echoed vocals strategically and waves of synth wrapped up in a cosmic demeanor, and “Waiting For The Knife” finishes the listen with a flawless blend of New Wave, nostalgic pop and even shades of post-punk lingering in their timeless formula.
The Jenny Thing released a trio of excellent but criminally overlooked records in the ‘90s, and this excellent comeback album illustrates that the band haven’t lost a step in their chemistry or songwriting skills. Hopefully this isn’t a one off effort, cause today’s version of pop can only gain from their inimitable vision.
Travels well with: Ross Ingram- Sell The Tape Machine; Au.Ra- Cultivations