It's New to Me: A Place Where We Could Go by Jeremy Jay

"Peri raiko (Commodore Perry's Delegation)" from a polyptych by unknown artist, 1852

My initial interest in K Records troubadour Jeremy Jay came from seeing his "Lite Beam" video. The song was a kind of stripped-down dancey indie-pop that you don't see much from US artists, but I was disappointed to find that "Lite Beam" is only found on the Love Everlasting EP, a companion piece to his new album Slow Dance. In doing this research, though, I was intrigued by the description of Jeremy Jay's first album, A Place Where We Could Go. Produced by Beat Happening's Calvin Johnson, the album was supposed to be even more stripped down pop, with only drummer Chris Sutton supplementing Jay's guitar and occasional piano.

A Place Where We Could Go really delivered on its promise, too, with a set of minimalist pop songs that really reveal Jeremy Jay's interesting songwriting style. With touches of pre-Beatles rock and French chanson music, the biggest influence on his style may be early David Bowie (bonus track "Oh Bright Young Things" bears a similarity to Hunky Dory that goes beyond its title). It's no surprise that Jeremy Jay splits his time living in Hollywood and Paris - where else would this music make any sense at all? His goofy, romantic lyrics go well with his fey voice and odd sense of phrasing. The wistful "Heavenly Creatures" and "Someone Cares" represent the twee-er side of his songwriting, while songs like "Beautiful Rebel" and "Escape to Aspen" have a slightly edgier earthy sound, with nice surfy guitar leads.

One of my favorites on A Place Where We Could Go is "Hold Me in Your Arms Tonite". It starts with a familiar guitar strum and Jay's echoing vocals. A trebly guitar lead adds a '50s pop feel to the song and, after two short verses about love and nighttime, Jay hums wordlessly over an extended outro. Short, sweet, and a little corny, it's not the kind of thing I'm always in the mood for. But, on certain Spring days, music like this really hits the spot.

"Hold Me in Your Arms Tonite" by Jeremy Jay