Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter
Oh, My Girl
Barsuk
2004
C+

Oh, My Girl is a successful album, by and large. There are no great stylistic leaps from Reckless Burning—which could be taken as either a good or bad sign (take your pick). You couldn’t argue that Jesse Sykes singing songs like “You Are Not Gotten Here” and “Troubled Soul” wouldn’t put you in the loveliest of musical ghost towns. “House By The Lake” includes a jazzier interlude of sorts—a welcome break from what’s been dubbed Sykes’ trademark “twang noir.” While the lyrical ground is also familiar territory with its variations of sad, a few phrases stand out: “all the world’s fuckery”, “your black eyes remind me of the dreaming dead”, “some things in life are still worth a good brawl.” I buy every word, but can’t help but wonder if it couldn’t be better. It was expected that minor keys and that bombshell of a voice would always work in Sykes’ favor, and it’s possible that Oh, My Girl is a better effort than Reckless Burning (I’m still not entirely sure; maybe I love “Reckless Burning”—the song—far too much). Still, is it too much to ask for more? Wandscher’s guitar is evocative, Ruljancich’s violin is present in all the right moments, and each of the parts to The Sweet Hereafter’s whole add something wholly distinctive to the album’s sound. (Leaving you to wonder, why aren’t they just The Sweet Hereafter? Oh, right, it’s that voice, dammit.) The potential is undoubtedly present. The execution? I’m hoping it’s in the works.

Reviewed by: Rachel Khong Reviewed on: 2004-08-05 Comments (0) |