Jonski - Take Two EP

Hear The Track Here

Actually this is billed as a digital album which, obviously, can be of whatever length. The reason I affixed the EP label to it is because there are only three tracks on it and unless they were twenty mins each (Ed: God forbid!) not really what I would consider an album. Yeah, but what's that mean anyway, all that counts is the music this whateveryoucallit contains right? Jonski is a new name to me from Wales (the country not the prince with big ears) who I suspected has been put forward by a certain bear of my acquaintance (Ed: whatever you do, don't ask him what he means by that) and I am always willing to listen to something new.

As long as it is something new that is...not an easy task.

4 Chords is the first track up and damned if I didn't instantly snap into the 'ooohh that's nice' mode, which generally means someone has tapped into my copious musical memory and stirred it up. A lot of that may have to do with the rock pop that makes up the song, you will have heard similar a good many times before but at least Jonski makes it energetic, fizzy and buzzing with energy. Damn fine production too. Playstation Hero is second track up and (gulp) it's a ballad. Still, the pop nous Jonski showed so well in 4 Chords is also at work here, a piano ballad that Elton would give his right nut for. What this track shows is that - whatever else he might be - Jonski is a primo songwriter; terrifically knowing lyrics married to a simple, yet highly effective arrangement.

Making Noise makes up this extremely winsome threesome, a track that is the rockiest of the trio, but no less effective; coming over as something Bowie might have thrown out when he was young and sassy. Has a ridiculously catchy 'all the people' chorus to that is impossible to forget once heard, or at least that proved to be my my case. My real (and only) problem with this fine collection of songs and music is, which is my favourite? That, my friends, is a hard, hard choice because they all display an extremely high standard of songwriting and performance, and - as I said - a very knowing pop sensibility. Certainly this release has brought yet another excellent musician into my sight lines and that's no bad thing.

Excellent pop material. Highly Recommended (and at $5, a steal!!)