The Golden Beatle

    In addition to all the obvious reasons that I love Eugene Francis Jnr.'s music, including the buoyant melodies, the ingenious mix of electronica and folk sounds and the way he expresses himself, what strikes me the most is his generosity of spirit. He has a way of looking at the world that gives rather than takes away.

    To be honest, it took me several listens to be able to absorb the album and I've had some trouble trying to figure out what I want to say about it. See, I started listening to it directly on the heels of Devotchka and the two couldn't be more dissimilar. But now that a few weeks have passed and my obsession with A Mad & Faithful Telling has abated, I can hear what Eugene is trying to say to me.

    See, none of the songs on the album are what I'd call ordinary--not the instrumentation, not the lyrics, not even the feelings they generate--yet they're so very accessible. You just know he's singing about something that you've experienced or thought about or dreamed of doing.

    He's introspective and he's not by any means all flowers and sunshine, but regardless of what he's singing about, he makes me feel like everything will be alright. Honestly. This is big for me, as you know. In fact, when I listen to The Golden Beatle I almost feel--dare I say it--contented.

    "Beginners" is the latest single. It's upbeat and full of joyous energy. Prior to receiving the album, I'd heard "Poor Me," "Kites" and "My Own Pollution." It's weird, but I find that sometimes when I become very familiar with songs without hearing them in context, I'm sort of over them by the time I hear them on the album. But not this time. EFJ reworked the songs and they're different enough to make me be able to hear them again like it's the first time, which I really appreciate.

Eugene Francis Jnr.--"Beginners" mp3 off The Golden Beatle (buy)

    If you'd like to see what I've said about EFJ in previous posts, go here and here. As you may have guessed, I really can't say enough good things about him.

p.s. Normally I don't repost p.r. blurbs, but this is so cool that I have to share it:

tags: eugene francis jnr  the golden beatle  

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