Jonathan Wilson – Fanfare (2013)

I consider myself something of an explorer in music and I try to find new bands and artists all the time. This means that I very rarely get really excited about anything new anymore. It feels like very few artists or bands can really make a lasting impression on me. Jonathan Wilson is one of the exceptions in the recent years. I have been listening to his albums a lot in the last few years. Fanfare was the first album of his that caught my attention and I liked it straight away, but it took me quite a long time to start actually loving it. Wilson makes quite complex songs that can reveal new perspectives even after years of listening. He's really retro in some ways, but at the same time the songs sound very unique and you can't really pinpoint any particular artist or band he sounds like. But it's clear he knows his history of pop music.



One of the things that makes me love his music so much is the fact that he's a phenomenal guitar player. It's rare to find guitar heroes these days when most music relies on electronic instruments. It's truly a pleasure to listen to skilful solos. I saw him play live here in London at Omeara about a year ago and he was just phenomenal. It's one of the best live shows I've seen in recent years. He has quite a few long songs, which allows playfulness and different parts. It also means that the songs can get new forms when played live.

Jonathan Wilson has gained fame more as a record producer as a solo artist. He has for example produced Father John Misty albums and Conor Oberst. I always find it a bit strange that not more producers perform themselves, because clearly they are skilful musicians themselves. Well, in this case, I'm happy to see that Wilson performs himself, because as much as I like the artists he has produced, I love his music even more. One amazing thing about this album is that he actually has David Crosby and Graham Nash singing backing vocals in some songs. Once you know that, it seems quite logical, since there are some very heavy similarities.

The album starts with the title-track Fanfare. This is a great opening track as the song grows bit by bit from quiet psychedelic sounds to full blast dream pop. The orchestration in the song sounds a bit like Mercury Rev. Dear Friend has a classic endearing psychedelic pop style. I really like the kind of twisted waltz style that explodes into proper guitar hero moments every once in a while. Her Hair Is Growing Long is one of the strangest songs on the album. It starts out acoustic and the whole song has an air of improvisation. Love to Love is a proper hit song with a really catchy melody and a fantastic groove. I think it sounds quite a lot like a Bob Dylan song from his golden years in the mid-60s. Future Vision takes a grand opening to a song that kind of reminds me of Father John Misty. I absolutely love the choral backing vocals. Moses Pain seems to draw its influences from 60s and 70s Americana folk artists such as Crosby, Stills & Nash or The Band. I like the country feel of the song. Cecil Taylor features some excellent guitar harmonics and the dark and psychedelic melody is purely fantastic only made more amazing by Nash's and Crosby's backing vocals. Illumination is a proper rock song with some heavier rock guitars. The song moves forwards quite slowly, but there are some excellent sound features in there. Desert Trip takes again a more acoustic approach. I really love the gentle folk sound of this song. It shows that you don't have to sing loudly to have impact in your voice. Fazon is one of the most playful songs on the album. There's a fantastic funky groove in the song and there's some added spice from psychedelic and jazzy use of wood winds. New Mexico is a properly psychedelic affair with excellent vocal harmonies. I can imagine the New Mexico desert while listening to this. Lovestrong is a fantastic ballad where Wilson's vocals really show their true potential. The song ends in groovy rock jamming, which is quite unexpected after the beginning. The album ends with a slow and lazy song All the Way Down. It starts out very light but there are some heavier and darker tones in a psychedelic veil later on in the song.

I've mentioned before on this album that it has a very traditional Americana feel to it. Well, the music video for Love to Love has an even more American feel to it. It features a road trip under the Californian sun and the whole film style looks like it's from the 70s. The video is very cinematic and the main character is this quite a gorgeous woman who seems to properly hippie it out.

Wilson has three proper studio albums and I love all of them. Fanfare has a special place in my heart because I found that one first, but I can't really say which one I like the best. His music is all worth listening to and falling in love to.

Listen to the album on Spotify.