Jim Noir, 'Jim Noir'
Old-fashioned space-rock from an otherworldly British songsmith
Special to Metromix
Backstory: “Jim Noir” is the second album from…well, Jim Noir, a formerly basement-based recording artist whose immaculately arranged home recordings on his debut, “Tower Of Love,” led to near-universal acclaim from Britain’s notoriously fickle music community.
Why you should care: At the recent, industry-laden South by Southwest Music Festival, some bands are so desperate for buzz that they book themselves 15 shows in four days; others confidently know that their buzz will be made from just one or two small shows. Guess which tactic Noir chose?
Verdict: A dreamily paced record both throwback in nature (one song's even called “Good Old Vinyl”) and futuristically electronic leaning, “Jim Noir” is perfect fodder for Flaming Lips fans who aren't interested in dancing furries or globe-sized space bubbles. Noir mines the '60's for his melodies, the '90s for his lyrics, and the '00s for his spacey-ness, but occasionally all the decade-hopping gets in the way of memorable songs. When it doesn't—like on the shuffly jaunt “What U Gonna Do,” or “Happy Day Today,” which starts as falsetto disco-funk before becoming something akin to a Beck garbage-can suite—you'll swear Noir is actually otherworldly.
X-Factor: Confusingly, Jim Noir is actually named Alan Roberts.
Why you should care: At the recent, industry-laden South by Southwest Music Festival, some bands are so desperate for buzz that they book themselves 15 shows in four days; others confidently know that their buzz will be made from just one or two small shows. Guess which tactic Noir chose?
Verdict: A dreamily paced record both throwback in nature (one song's even called “Good Old Vinyl”) and futuristically electronic leaning, “Jim Noir” is perfect fodder for Flaming Lips fans who aren't interested in dancing furries or globe-sized space bubbles. Noir mines the '60's for his melodies, the '90s for his lyrics, and the '00s for his spacey-ness, but occasionally all the decade-hopping gets in the way of memorable songs. When it doesn't—like on the shuffly jaunt “What U Gonna Do,” or “Happy Day Today,” which starts as falsetto disco-funk before becoming something akin to a Beck garbage-can suite—you'll swear Noir is actually otherworldly.
X-Factor: Confusingly, Jim Noir is actually named Alan Roberts.
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