The first of two albums to be released this year by this Californian singer-songwriter, ‘Splash’ was written and recorded while he was living in London in the summer of 2009. Instead of absorbing the local sounds, however, it sees a homesick Jay turning to the none-more-American indie rock of [a]Pavement[/a] and the SST label for inspiration. The highlights here are opener ‘As You Look Over The City’ and ‘Hologram Feather’, which channel the nasal whine of Dean Wareham and the music of his bands Galaxie 500 and Luna. However, Jay’s detached warble does occasionally grate, especially on the jaunty, lightweight single ‘Just Dial My Number’.
Nathaniel Cramp
Click here to get your copy of Jeremy Jay’s ‘Splash’ from the Rough Trade shop