I’ve been a Jack Conte fan for a while now. I first discovered this wonderful musician as part of Pomplamoose, where he collaborates with his partner, Nataly Dawn. Initially, I was awestruck with Dawn’s beautiful singing, and the enchanting way she stares down the camera whilst singing. I remember thinking that Pomplamoose must be the pinnacle of musicianship. Then I discovered Jack Conte’s solo work.
Now, I haven’t bought any of his albums before this one (largely because I am poor), but I had some iTunes credit from my birthday, so I thought this one of the best uses I could put it to. Boy, am I glad I made that decision. Since buying it, I’ve been listening to it almost non-stop, because it’s just that good. Anyway, enough about me, this is s review, so I should get reviewing.
VS4 is, a you might have guessed, the fourth offering from Conte, part of a series of albums named “Videosongs”. His older albums (from what I’ve listened to on YouTube) are very reminiscent of Radiohead. Not badly so, but there’s an energy there that wouldn’t be out of place on albums like Kid A and OK Computer. This new album, though, changes up the tempo a bit. Conte himself mentioned he felt there was a lot of Beatles influence in it, but I can’t help but wonder if there is some weird simultaneous development between Conte and Liam Finn in New Zealand. Admittedly, I haven’t heard much of Finn’s latest album, but VS4 and Finn’s first solo album, I’ll Be Lightning, are strikingly similar. Again, not in a bad way, both albums are unique and wonderful in there own right, but the similarities are remarkable. Musically, there are similar influences present, but add to that the fact that both Conte and Finn are multi-instrumentalists, and both recorded their albums by themselves, and you are left wondering whether they are actually the same person. (They both grow remarkably good beards too)
VS4 is so wonderfully constructed. The opener, ”Make The Grade”, starts off with a simple piano riff, accompanied by self-deprecating lyrics that makes you really want him to actually make the grade. The song is laden with instruments and complex arrangements, and shows you just how talented Conte is. All in the first track. It only gets better – “Sinking Feeling” has a similar multitude of instruments, but the arrangement seems subtler. Conte continues with multiple vocal tracks – it’s hard to tell exactly how many voices there are, but my guess would be somewhere around 5. This technique gives his voice such a rich depth, and really fills out the songs.
“The Time Has Come” changes things up a bit, with an almost polka like verse (complete with pulsing piano-accordion), before launching into a wave of vocal harmonies, and the simple request, “Wouldn’t it be nice/to have a bit more time”. This is followed by “Off With His Head”, a much simpler piece backed with an orchestral arrangement which harks back to The Beatles. The song feels almost English, too, and makes me yearn for a good cup of tea.
Other favourites are “Long Long Time Ago”, which is more of a story than a song, and “Mercenary” which could be the softest call to arms I’ve ever heard. These two lot nicely into the middle of the album, where I feel a lot of albums lose impetus. Conte manages to keep interest by changing the style, from the layered-vocal, almost chanting feel of “Away”, to the loud, driving beat of “Only Dreaming”.
The absolute stand-out of VS4, though, is ”Get It Out”. The song starts off with a drum beat very similar to that of Blur’s “Song Two”, but it shakes off those shackles immediately, and launches into what could almost be described as a 3-minute symphony. The song is such a good piece, in fact, that I often find myself returning to it after the end of the album.
I can’t help but feel that the album starts to trail off at this point. “I Would Be Happy” and “I Wonder Where The Moments Go” feel a little weaker to me, and I do wonder whether it might have been better to make it 11 or 12 tracks long, as opposed to 15. Still, the album picks up again with the off-beat “Mister Money Bags”, where Conte appeals to this mythical fat-cat for a little pocket change (a feeling which I know too well). “Push It” is yet another expertly constructed track, starting with simple guitar picking and echo-ey vocals, before bashing your ear drums with another punching chorus.
All in all, this is a hugely enjoyable album. The odd weaker track, but that certainly doesn’t hold VS4 back. The opening 5 songs are really almost perfect as a combo, and there are some absolute crackers dispersed throughout. And at only US$10 (about NZ$12), it truly is a bargain for such a good album. Click on the picture up the top, and you’ll find the links to download the album.
