Jamie Woon
Mirrorwriting
Rating: Grrrr
Jamie Woon occupies an interesting plot in the dubstep landscape; somewhere in the middle between the silence craving spaces of James Blake (who will be Woon's most obvious comparison) and the more pop leaning spectrum of artists like Katy B and Magnetic Man. Woon began his career as a soul singer, attending the BRIT School where he was a year behind Amy Winehouse, who he has opened for on tour. It was a meeting with UK dubstep/two step enigma Burial that changed Woon's path from traditional R&B, merging his velvety croon with more adventurous sonics. Burial produced his breakout track "Night Air," which made it into my top ten singles of last year, and lends his deft hand to two other tracks on Mirrorwriting. Even though he didn't produce the entire album, his influence seeps in and out of each track. Lots of ghostly samples, and haunting low end sounds push up against the more traditional elements. While not as experimental (and in my opinion lacking in soul) as James Blake's debut nor as willing to mine for pop stardom like Katy B, Woon's Mirrorwriting is a happy medium which, when playing to his strengths, is some of the finest music you will hear all year.
The album begins with a brilliant trifecta of tracks co-produced with Burial. The aforementioned "Night Air" leads off with dense, atmospheric electronics over a bed of instantly recognizable Burial percussion, warmed by Woon's luscious croon.
Things pick up with the insistent rush of "Street," the keyboards getting rougher and more staccato as the track progresses. Even when it seems like a track on Mirrorwriting is going to veer towards a standard sound, there is always something lurking in the background to surprise you, like the low rumbling bass and organ arpeggios.
"Lady Luck," the official first single from the album is one of the best tracks. Woon's voice getting more insistent as the track progresses, his vocals sampled and clipped, added as percussion throughout.
The album works best when he straddles the line perfectly between the traditional pop/R&B sound and more experimental dubstep leanings. "Shoulda" would be a perfect pop single, but is elevated to a higher place with the addition of more low end bass and haunting background electronics.
"Echoes" utilizes his falsetto well, the desperation increasing in the song, mirrored by jarring hits of snare drums and gurgling synths. "Middle" shows Woon's amazing range, the song a dubstep update of 50s R&B.
The album is less successful when it veers towards more traditional song structures. The back half of the album especially suffers with too many slow, singer-songwriter ballads that, while containing some interesting elements, just don't finish the album on an up note. "TMRW" plods along with no real melody. Woon's voice is lovely though. "Gravity" attempts to replicate Japan's great single "Ghosts" with haunting electronics, however, a promising beginning gets mired in MOR mawkishness. "Waterfront" ends the album with delicate guitar and organ, Woon's voice buttery and smooth, but the experimentation of the first half of the album is sorely missed.
Despite these minor missteps, Mirrorwriting is a very strong debut from Jamie Woon; consistently engaging the listener, and showcasing a brilliant collaborative partnership with Burial. Based on Burial's contributions, I would have liked to have seen a full on collaboration instead of just the few songs here. Woon definitely realizes that this is his strong suit, as many of the other songs follow and are influenced by that blueprint. Here's hoping he ditches the more traditional structures and continues with his dubstep explorations.
Rating Guide
Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.
Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.
Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.
Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.
Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.
Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.
Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.
