Pottery drummer Paul Jacobs arrived in Montreal six years ago and since then he’s gone on to become a fixture in the Canadian city’s eclectic indie scene. A rocker, painter, animator and home studio specialist, he’s now released a new solo album – ‘Pink Dogs on the Green Grass’ – via Blow the Fuse Records. Recorded at home, the record finds Paul dipping into everything from lo-fi garage rock to blissed-out psychedelia.
Opening with the art rock of ‘Christopher Robbins’ (written on bongos!), the album finds Paul talking about an elevator not being in service and forcing you to go through the stairwell door against a backdrop of Beta Band-esque DIY melodies. ‘Day to Day’ quickly follows with a resigned warning – in a Julian Casablancas-esque drawl – that ‘You’re slipping away’ before recent single ‘Half Rich Loner’ takes the record in a boisterous blues rock-meets-fractured pop direction. ‘Most Delicious Drink’ reminded us of Deerhunter with its instantly hummable melodies and swirling sounds while ‘Cherry’ is an uptempo slice of garage rock.
After a slower and more introspective opening, ‘Underneath the Roses’ morphs into a glam rock stomper with all kinds of riffs and noise. ‘Dancing with the Devil’ with its witty observations on the mundaneties of modern life (‘Now I’m gonna try on a new pair of pants’; ‘thinking about getting something to eat’), lo-fi leanings and driving bass line recalls ‘Beautiful Freak’-era Eels and tells a captivating story while ‘Your Last Words’ is a frantically paced War On Drugs-esque anthem with lyrics about going down.
The penultimate ‘The Boys are Back’ has Paul asking the subject directly if they’ve had to hide any of their opinions and if they’ve smoked their last cigarette before the 90-second blast of ‘Hello Sunshine’ closes the album in upbeat fashion. With multi-layered soundscapes and instantly memorable melodies, you’ll want to make time to visit these ‘Pink Dogs on the Green Grass’…
