Jonny
Jonny
Alsatian / Turnstile

Jonny's sort of a super-duo, with Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake and Euros Childs, formerly of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci (who split in 2006 - since then Childs has released several solo albums - the last one came in December 2010!). So, how about a friendly between Scotland and Wales, then?

This Jonny project is maybe an one album thing. Maybe it's a leftover project, making it possible for Messrs. Blake and Childs to empty their cupboard drawers. Not that there aren't some good stuff among the 13 tracks. Jonny's Jonny is a pop-trip back to the 1960s (and somehow to the 1970s), revisiting (I almost typed recycling...) The Beatles, The Zombies, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and more. Listen to "Candyfloss" and imagine The Zombies, check out "Waiting Around For You" and recall The Beatles. And the list could go on. Blake and Childs are 'thieving' with humour and style, and they're getting away with it. Some of the 13 songs may be one too many, but besides that Jonny is (mainly) instant pop, with (mainly) instant charm. As a fascinating 'break' comes the extremely long "Cave Dance", stretching out for 10'44''. The song is a straight rock song for 1 minute 55 seconds, before the middle/ending part begins - and it almost never ends. Before the end comes. It's like a track taken from a rock opera by The Who. Or the Kinks.

I guess the main idea behind the songs and the album was having a good time themselves. Secondly to give the listener/the audience a good time as well. The album is pretty charming, but it's not a smashing classic, I think. Yet, I'm looking forward seeing the lads in Oslo in a couple of weeks. Slán go fóill. Wela i chi!

Copyright © 2011 Håvard Oppøyen