Blind Mr. Jones – Stereo Musicale

They have reissued Stereo Musicale in a retrospective vinyl edition on Graveface Records for RSD 2017

Please consider this overview for both Tatooine [which as you know was a fictional desert planet that serves as the setting for several key scenes throughout the Star Wars saga] and Stereo Musicale [which is a musical gathering or concert, most often small and informal in its nature] as both albums move within the same constructs and dimensional characteristics.

The genre of ‘shoegazer,’ like ‘psychedelic,’ came in so many flavors that nearly none are related to any other, with Blind Mr. Jones occupying their very own special slot that you are either going to love, or easily dismiss.

Often referred to as the Jethro Tull of shoegazing due their relentless use of the flute, Blind Mr. Jones took their name by combining the first two tracks from the album Naked by the Talking Heads, and seemed to have a difficult time finding their own footing, sound, and a presentation that suited them; even with the rather lengthy number of songs laid out on each album, which no doubt resulted in the short lived career of this outfit.

What makes this album different from say, Ride, Slowdrive, or My Bloody Valentine, is that has a Nordic, or perhaps Celtic feel, and it comes off as being rather frenetic, an uptempo display of noise-pop, sightly moody, though certainly not depressive. Nearly all of the songs come off with a sense of urgency, though I’m not sure if that’s just me wanting to get through them, or that it’s the bands presentation … nevertheless, Blind Mr. Jones seemed very enthusiastic about what they were doing. Nothing is traditional about this album, and that makes it difficult to categorize, and yes, I wold agree that it’s always not always important or necessary to categorize music, but in the same sense, I for one am of that nature. With hushed and subdued harmonies and melodies delivered in the lower ranges and minor keys, I found that the songs got a bit weary as they played on, though that being said, there is no way that I’d ever go without the tracks, “Hey,” “See You Again,” “Against the Glass,” “Big Plane,” “Drop For Days,” “What’s Going On,” or the magical “Surfer Baby.”

Had all of their sounds been more atmospheric and of the aforementioned nature, perhaps the career of Blind Mr. Jones would have lasted longer, as fans would have found a more comfortable place to sit as their music unfolded.

Review by Jenell Kesler

The LP version incorrectly lists tracks: Spooky Vibes, Unforgettable Walz, and Going On Cold are not included in the vinyl format. The track listing is as follows:

Side a side b
sisters lonesome boatman
regular disease spook easy
small caravan one watt above darkness
flying with lux dolores
henna and swayed against the glass