by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

New Brunswick artist Jon McKiel returns with a follow-up to the successful 2020 album Bobby Joe Hope. Hex makes use of new sampling techniques he discovered while working on that record, working with JOYFULTALK’s Jay Crocker to make an opus described in the press release as ‘equal parts flower field and burning building’.

What’s the music like?

The promotional material has it spot on. For every moment of brightness in McKiel’s music there is a dark undertone, creating an appealing tension that runs through each song.

McKiel’s vocals are on first impression quite deadpan, but with subsequent listening they are loaded with meaning, and complemented by imaginative instrumentation and counter melodies. Hex has a catchy chorus, ever so slightly sinister, until an unexpected saxophone solo breezes across it like late summer sun.

String goes for an appealing wander with loops of guitars, the sampling work paying dividends, while the woozy textures of The Fix hang heavy in the air, dressed with distant vocals. This song has a barren outlook, “on a land where nothing grows”, and wants to get away from the working day, “still running from the zeros and ones”. While this might come across as pessimistic, there is a lighter touch to the music that gives the listener hope.

This bittersweet approach is a hallmark of McKiel’s music, with pastoral moments such as Everlee taking time to appreciate their surroundings while sitting in the aftermath of world-weariness.

Does it all work?

It does. There is melodic invention aplenty here, fresh lyrical insights and influences that go back to late-1960s pop and psychedelia. All combine for a very satisfying whole.

Is it recommended?

Yes, enthusiastically. If Jon McKiel is a new name to you, then no need to hesitate – he is a clever, multi-dimensional songwriter who makes music appealing to the human spirit.

For fans of… Steve Mason, Gruff Rhys, Grandaddy

Listen and Buy

Published post no.2,179 – Wednesday 15 May 2024