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Thursday, May 23, 2024
Album Review: Young Jesus – The Fool
Born from a jaded disconnect and chock full of sharply profound lyrics, John Rossiter (the artist known professionally as Young Jesus) explores dark character undersides, mental health, and some true sadness in his forthcoming seventh album, The Foo…
Born from a jaded disconnect and chock full of sharply profound lyrics, John Rossiter (the artist known professionally as Young Jesus) explores dark character undersides, mental health, and some true sadness in his forthcoming seventh album, The Fool.
Lyrically, this is one of the most beautifully tragic albums I've ever heard but you wouldn't necessarily guess that from the opening single "Brenda & Diane." This energized 80's pop ballad sets the listener in some seedy, allegedly empty bar and walks you through a brief interaction our main character has with two gambling outlaws. This is essentially an optimistic song as our characters appear to pass on some hard-loving advice and we are left with a sense of freedom and reset.
And although this optimism is harder to find in the songs that follow, what "Brenda & Diane" does share with the rest of the album is passion and a depth and emotion found in fleeting but complex stories. Rossiter explores messiness (and yes, deep sorrow) that comes with loving someone in "Two Brothers." He explores reflection and forgiveness and trauma in "Rabbit," "Am I the Only One," and "Dancer." All of these somewhat singular stories are painted on a more minimalistic canvas for Young Jesus.
But don't take minimalistic to mean laziness or simplistic. One of the things I love most about The Fool is the honesty you hear. It feels as though each song has been wrestled with, meticulously dissected, and exhaustingly collaborated on. It's a rugged album that really only exists because a stranger and some friends (Shahzad Ismaily, Alex Babbitt, and Alex Lappin) pulled Rossiter from the gardens he had retreated to in order to forge some music together.
In this process, Rossiter has made quite a departure from his 2022 album, Shepherd Head - which was almost inevitable as that work left him tired and disengaged. On The Fool, alongside the aforementioned 80's-themed ballad, I hear folk and poetic rock akin to artists like Josh Ritter and Dan Mangan. I may even be as bold as to draw similarities to Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. Each song is delicate and incredibly raw, begging for an intentional listen. It longs for your contemplation.
All this to say, it may not become the album you spin for all your friends and family during any upcoming Memorial Day parties. It's definitely not meant for that. The Fool is intricate art, holding mirrors up to Rossiter's characters and world; reflecting back the good, the bad, and the sadness of it all.
The Fool is streaming everyone on May 24th. Listen to "Am I the Only One" now:
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