Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Jason Falkner, Why Have You Forsaken Me?



Waiting for new Jason Falkner music is only slightly more amusing than watching paint dry. The man seems to work constantly as a sideman for people like Paul McCartney, Cheap Trick, French electronica duo Air and recent Grammy winner Beck, but when it comes to his own music, fans have to make do with the scant material available. Don't even think about trying to see the man live. I saw him perform once in 1999 and I am quite sure he's only performed one or two other times on his own in NYC since then.

This is why the release of "Make It Be," Falkner's new collaboration with cult figure R. Stevie Moore, should have been a happy occasion. Considered a mad genius by some and a quirky, hit or miss singer-songwriter by me (the "low-fi pioneer" moniker already turns me off) Moore's odd experimentation given free reign by producer Falkner, sabotages what might have been a terrific record.

It's not completely unpleasant, as some of Moore's eccentricities coupled with Falkner's brand of pop genius work, not necessarily in a "I love that song" way, but in a "wow, that was interesting" way. And the Moore-penned tune "Play Myself Some Music," included here, is a perfect example of Moore's beautifully simplistic songwriting.



I'm still not sure how I feel about "Make It Be." When I listen, I want to continue listening and that's a good thing. But as I listen, I can't help see this as another missed opportunity for a proper Jason Falkner record.

It's HERE, if you want to check the whole thing out for yourself.

10 comments:

soundsource said...

actually it just kinda sucks, "trust me" if I delete it is not even marginally good.

Sal Nunziato said...

@soundsource...yeah you right.

William Repsher said...

I jumped on the R. Stevie Moore bandwagon about five years ago, only to realize it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Feel much the same about Daniel Johnston, save I'm not sure if Moore suffers from any debilitating mental issues.

What's odd is that the level artists like Moore function on, i.e., nowhere near the level of much more talented/recognized pop artists ... is roughly on par with cutting-edge indie artists for the last decade or two. Which, again, is that mild form of musical devolution I've been recognizing all along, but may as well self-censor myself now lest I get called old and out-of-touch for recognizing something as plain as the nose on your face.

Anonymous said...

Sal, I can't really disagree with most of what you said about Make It Be. I have listened to it more than anything else the last couple of weeks and being a big Jason fan, I take anything I can get. For me, there are three great songs, a couple of good songs and the rest I can listen to and appreciate what they're trying to do. I love 'Stamps'. Never heard much R. Stevie prior to this and definitely won't pursue him in my further musical endeavors. I do agree that I wish he would spend less time collaborating with others, R.Stevie, D. Johnston, et al, and more time giving us Falkner music. Randy

cmealha said...

I've never listened to anything else by R. Stevie Moore before this and I find this really interesting. Enough to at least get this cut and listen to some more.

buzzbabyjesus said...

My favorite Daniel Johnston song is "Sorry Entertainer".
I downloaded a bunch or R. Stevie Moore somewhere, and Sal about got it right. A quirky hit or miss songwriter. Low-fi pioneers piss me off. Why anyone would make deliberately crappy sounding music is beyond me.
I listened to most of "Play Myself Some Music", I got through the guitar solo, and then I sampled my usual 30 seconds of a half dozen more. The is no air anywhere as far as I can see, and everything is the same tempo. The opening to "I H8 Ppl" is just too much like Ultravox's "Quiet Man", which I'd rather hear.
I don't know much about Jason Faulkner, but I found four folders of his music in my hard drive, all bootleg fan collections, one of which is all covers entitled "Play Myself Some Music". I'll have to check him out.

Shriner said...

While I'd like some new JF music (anybody that can write as good a song as "Princessa" gets a perpetual pass from me...), I figure Falkner's gotta eat -- that's why he'll be a perpetual sideman -- maybe holding out for that extremely-remotely-possible Jellyfish reunion tour.

Didn't his last album (albums?) have Japan-only releases anyway.

buzzbabyjesus said...

I thought he was unhappy in Jellyfish because they wanted a sideman and he wanted to be a collaborator.

A walk in the woods said...

Just on a side note - nice reference to Beck as "recent Grammy winner." hilarious

Anything Should Happen said...

I think the Jellyfish problem was more Sturmer