Review by Stan Cierlitsky
Stephen Jones has offered up about 200 releases since 2012. 198 are up on his Bandcamp site. That doesn't include his worthwhile compilation from earlier this year, Happy Stupid Nothing. Over time he has recorded under the names Stephen Jones, Babybird, Baby Bird, Arthritis Kid, Black Reindeer, Jones, Deluder, Trucker, 5th Base, Outsider, and many others. He remains, of course, most familiar to listeners as Babybird, and he's nothing if not wildly prolific.
Unlike some of his previous releases, Photosynthesis, out this Friday, is a tight collection of dark songs that seem to focus on the many reflections of a middle-aged man trying to find his place in the world. This release also provides evidence of more attention being spent by Jones on the music itself -- a couple of near-instrumentals here really worked for me -- and a higher level of quality in terms of the production. With so many releases on the market -- and I haven't listened to all of them -- there were quite a few that seemed to suffer from a lack of attentive production (and I say that not just because the releases were lo-fi).
Photosynthesis starts promisingly with "Too Late", a haunting song that changes speeds, and which even includes a frantic, hectic, and loud drum-solo. At this point I realized that this wasn't going to be another of the recent lo-fi releases from Babybird. And the track definitely sets the tone for this dark album.
The second selection, "October", doesn't have some of the haunting vibe the rest of the album generally carries. It's not a bad song, but it just feels a little out of place. Again, I remain very impressed by the music and production throughout Photosynthesis. Stephen Jones has always had a great voice, and offered up interesting lyrics, but it’s really special when all the aspects come together on one release.
"Beach Grave" starts with a familiar, big EDM anthem-type keyboard run. Anyone who has listened to Swedish House Mafia will know what I mean. This song blew me away. This is probably the fullest-sounding, and biggest Babybird song I have heard in a decade. And with lyrics like "Love will kill me in the end.", it feels like we're in familiar lyrical territory. However, let’s be honest, if you are still listening to a Stephen Jones/Babybird release that's probably what you are expecting and want. I do.
"No Camera" is one of the album's two singles. A bit slower and a kind of a return to the haunting vibe, this one also has some loud drum sounds. That's kind of funny to me since I have listened to a lot of his lo-fi stuff and wondered where the drums even were at times. I loved the programmed techno ending on this one.
"Radioactive" is a warped trip-hop-kind of song, with Stephen going to his familiar distorted vocals. Even though this number isn't an instrumental, with the distorted vocals this is what I would call a near-instrumental. A really nice change of pace, this one, and I can't help but feel a little vibe from Primal Scream's "Loaded" or "Come Together" here.
"Cave In" is the real single on this album, with everything coming together on this one. If you ever liked Babybird during any earlier decade, this is the song to listen to now. It will end up on any definitive Stephen Jones' Greatest Hits you could compile.
Two of the next three tracks on Photosynthesis are instrumentals or near instrumentals. "Black Friday Jesus Tuesday" is another trip-hoppy-kind of song that reminds me a little of Bowery Electric. "Creation Destroys Science" is an interesting, somewhat-orchestral offering. The non-instrumental is "Perfect Suburbian Crime", a selection with social and political observations that will remind you of "This Is Hardcore" by Pulp. The last track on Photosynthesis is "Yeah I'm in Hollywood", and it's another gem. A lighter, jazzier Stephen Jones composition, this one might remind you a little of late-era Bowie stuff.
Overall, I am very happy with Photosynthesis. This is the record I was hoping Stephen Jones would have made over the last decade or so. It might not be a collection of the best songs he has written -- he has, after all, written many great songs -- but this is a very tight record that takes the listener on a journey. It's a mostly dark and introspective one, but it's definitely a journey worth taking.
Photosynthesis is out on Friday with more details via the links below.
More details on Babybird via the official Facebook page, or the official website.
[Photo: Uncredited Facebook page image]