The sad bedroom pop indie boi movement is really taking the global music industry by storm. We’ve got a holy checklist for this burgeoning genre:
[ ] Layers over layers over layers of reverb?
[ ] Sad lyrics about love?
[ ] Soft-spoken, ASMR-level singing voice?
[ ] Simple beats over a couple of piano notes?
[ ] Bucket hat?
[ ] Light-wash bootcut dad jeans?
To caricaturize this image is not hard.
In fact, Joji (also known as George Miller, Filthy Frank, and the Pink Guy), tries to subvert this so-called subculture in his debut album, BALLADS 1. Joji is no stranger to this form of genre-perversion; his Youtube personality Filthy Frank was (was) engineered around atypical shock-and-awe gags, aiming to achieve some kind of “alternative comedy.”
In BALLADS 1, he attempts to establish himself as not only a kind of post-modern virtuoso, with mastery over meta-commentaries in both comedy and music form, but also as a solid musician in his own right. With the same tools: lush instrumentation, a soft singing voice, and themes about love and loneliness, Joji tries to twist the genre around and present his own, unique, RnB-influenced take on it, while poking fun at the same time.
Unfortunately, the LP falls short at being a cohesive package of ideas. Joji’s vocals are decidedly lackluster - in songs such as “Yeah Right” and “Why Am I Still in LA,” the vocals feel like lazy efforts that were done in one take at the recording studio. His languid, closed-mouth manner of singing blends together with the oft-simple, 1-2 beat in the background. Now, this could be a good thing if his singing voice was actually interesting to listen to - trip-hop bands and artists such as Portishead attempt to blend the voices in with the “wall of sound,” a huge mis-mash of reverberated sounds from numerous instruments. but the difference is that James Blake’s voice carries a lot more weight than Joji’s. Someone like Blake has exact control and mastery over his voice - he knows when and how to modulate his voice to match the so-called “wall of sound’s” peaks and valleys. In contrast, Joji’s reverberated mumble-singing simply serves to alienate the listener. Lyrics are delivered without impact, because all too often the words just simply mush together into an incoherent mess of alphabet soup.
However, we do see glimpses of Joji’s potential vocal artistry. On the best song off the LP, “No Fun,” the reverb is washed away, in favor of a vocal track that clearly stands in the foreground of the song. Straying away from the formulaic, hazy beats that mark the rest of the album, Joji then proceeds to absolutely belt it in a banger of a pop song, accompanied by simple finger-snapping and synth hits. He shows the same quality of voice on “Slow Dancing in the Dark“ and “I’ll See You in 40,” with “Slow Dancing in the Dark’ being an emotional, crooning love ballad that just explodes, and “I’ll See You in 40” being a hip-hop/RnB-hybrid, with wind accompaniments during the intro and outro that serve to both raise and lower the curtains on a story. If he were able to populate the album a bit with songs such as these, the album as a whole would’ve been a lot more balanced, as the album would contain a mix of slower songs that show off Joji’s lyricism, as well as faster, hip-hop type tracks that can show off Joji’s vocal chops.
Instead, the whole album, production-wise, feels like a wall. Producer-Joji and the guest producers do a good job with the beats, with artists such as Shlohmoh, Thundercat, and Ryan Hemsworth being featured, and the mixing is tight - the bass in “Can’t Get Over You” is one of the best of the year.
The problem is that songs often blend together, becoming nigh-indistinguishable sequences of hazy noise, with mumble-singing as the cherry on top. The songs on their own are fair listens - the aforementioned “No Fun” and hit single “Slow Dancing in the Dark” are glimpses into the high level of production Joji is capable of, but the album fails to have a solid vision for its songs. While the LP may have a solid unitary lyrical theme - love and all its pitfalls - the songs all feel like they’re just Joji pleading his romantic cases, or complaining about a flame, burning or not.
She don't wanna tell lies
- “Test Drive”
I've been waiting my whole life
To know I wanted you
Are you feeling me slowly?
- “Wanted U”
Won't you come through?
Water on me
We gon' walk right through
- “Come Thru”
BALLADS 1 stands as a mediocre debut offering, which can be aptly described as a mere collection of songs rather than an album. However, BALLADS 1 definitely has cracks of potential. Joji shows his talent in production throughout the LP, and if he gets a few lessons in singing and sprinkles in a touch of variety, watch out.