Jeremy Jay
Abandoned Apartments
Release Date: Jan 21, 2014
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Electronic, Indie Pop
Record label: K Records
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Album Review: Abandoned Apartments by Jeremy Jay
Very Good, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
Following 2011's Dream Diary, Jeremy Jay took some time to compose film scores, a move that makes perfect sense considering how subtle and evocative his songs are. His return to pop, Abandoned Apartments, reaffirms that his flair for setting a scene can shine in either genre. He builds on the floaty synth pop/disco sound he first adopted on 2009's Slow Dance, but these songs' words and sounds are an equal mix of gritty and ethereal.
Based on rating 4/5
“Le style Métro” might be the perfect phrase to characterize these Abandoned Apartments. Jeremy Jay’s work has always borne an obvious resemblance to wistful indie singer-songwriters from Nick Drake through Sarah Records, but on his new album, there’s an unaccustomed fog — or is it locomotive steam? — creeping onto the scene. Jay’s frequent train references evoke the melancholy of modernity, the Art Nouveau of the Paris network (a city that’s been the scene of Jay’s recent excursions away from his Stateside homeland).
Based on rating 5.5/10
Jeremy Jay has been signed to Calvin Johnson's K Records for years. He's existed comfortably there, putting out an album almost every year and building a fanbase, but it's a little difficult to imagine anyone caring deeply about him. His music gestures noncommittally towards a series of "-waves": his faltering, conversational delivery is no-wave, his synths are chillwave, his cheap drum-programmed beats are cold wave.
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