Remaining wildly prolific while existing in a bubble of relative obscurity for more than 40 years,
Jad Fair
, whether solo or leading his group
Half Japanese
, is an easy-to-miss hero of the American Underground. Early records paired crude, home-recorded production with songwriting that swung from silly to obnoxious to unabashedly vulnerable, all with little to no concern for technical singing or playing ability. It's no surprise that
inspired so many artists seeking out voices of their own apart from the mainstream, and
Fair
continues to refine his own songwriting voice on
Jump into Love
, a record so deep into the
discography that the artist himself isn't completely sure how many have come before it. While some of the core elements of the group's identity are still intact along with
's untrained vocals and wild, scattershot delivery,
feels like a new step in an ongoing evolution. Output that began with 2014's
Overjoyed
often presented
in cheerful and energetic states, with shambling guitar rock arrangements trying to keep up with
's declamatory vocals.
immediately feels more anxious than excited, with opening track "It's Ok" made up of several different kinds of chaos:
yowls while a steady, rolling rhythm anchors messy guitars and screaming electronics. The lyrics to positive songs like "We Are Giants" and "The Answer Is Yes" are hopeful and encouraging, but both
's frantic delivery and the shaky instrumental performances add to the undercurrent of urgency that flows throughout the album. There's a conflicted sweetness to many of these songs, as heavy, minor-key instrumentals house lyrics about wide-open futures and unlimited potentials on tunes like the brooding "Step Inside" and the nervy, country-rock-flavored "Shining Sun." Less serious-feeling moments like "Zombie World" and "This Isn't Funny" call back to the juvenile spirit of early
, but the majority of
finds
and his band communicating messages of joy and promise with strangely heavy tunes that don't quite sonically match their optimistic sentiments. ~ Fred Thomas