Wednesday, March 11, 2009

HOLD FAST, DRAW NEAR


I enjoy this song because Jessica Says’ superior enunciation makes this song sound like some mad Elizabethan parlour jam, the kind of joint they’d smash out in Pride & Prejudice while “taking a turn” about the “room”. Rad. I mean, you only want to check this out if you have a gigantic tolerance for twee because this shit is cuter than, for example, a long-eared jerboa.



Which is not to say that the record, We Need To Talk, is ever OTT or, you know, not adorable. Much like the long-eared jerboa, which took a good thing (hamster-mouse-creature) and added comically over-sized ears and feet to create a truly CLASSIC look, Jessica Says (REAL NAME: Jessica Venables) plays up the strengths of her charmingly naïve songs with sparse production that keeps them well away from saccharine bedrock. She’s helped by an endearingly posh accent and a surprising growl on the big notes. As with the Sly Hats, who she’s spent some time playing with, these are intelligently-written songs that reward repeat listens with often startling lyrical touches. Classy.

[Jessica Says MySpace]

[Buy We Need To Talk from Remote Control]

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