NEWMUSICATTAK: The Sky is Ugly by Jim E Brown
This comedy album from last year is what we need to cope with our maladies
Happy New Year to all. Hope your year goes well.
My first day didn't go well. Let's not talk about it that much. I believed the second day would hurt the same. But then, I found a beacon of hope.
He was 19. Just like me, but was broken, fatter, out of life, alcoholic. Not like me, but we shared the same pains. It motivated me. To get up and brush my teeth.
Anyways.
To be creatively bad is a work of art in itself. And that's where my man Jim E Brown nails it. He has released two albums: The Sky is Ugly and Shame. Both within the last four months.
This artist is underrated. With a subscriber count of 4200, his music is for anyone who wants to watch The Smiths but not without the old Morrisey. His lyrics are burning with lots of self vitriol and hatred, yet they never fail to be witty.
The song that's been on the loop for me is the very endearing "I WANT TO BE YOUR BOYFRIEND". In one way, it reminds me of Chris Chan's iconic cover of I Want it That Way but at the same time, reminds me of Radiohead's self loathing triumph Creep. The song's 80s Britpop perfection, with the very comical vocal impersonation of the loathsome Britpop gods, sells this song. The theme of Jim E falling in love with girls who are committed, is recurring, I hope he can find solace, stay strong my man.
The other song, that I champion is "I AM A DIRTY BITCH". Unlike most singers, who try to hide their self hatred via convoluted metaphors (GROW MY HAIR LIKE I AM JIM MORRISON) , Jim E is not a fan of those shenanigans. He is brash. He screams with all of his heart, that he is a filthy bitch and a dirty whore. I can smell the booze off my speakers.
The Sky is Ugly has several arguments to the various poets of our generation. If Rivers Cuomo believes that he is tired of sex, Jim E Brown finds sex abhorrent, disgusting, but is forced to take part in it because of his body's biological drive. He doesn't waste time in all of the melodramatic verses that COVID relief money babies Alice In Chains wallows in, he leaks his alcoholism, self harm, self mutiltation tendencies and vulnerabilities on this album.
But well, this album deserves a listen for its DIY Production style, it's fun what a fourty year old Uncle can achieve with a bunch of nerdy dudes. If Tate teaches us to be stoic, and treat women like cars, houses, alcohol, Jim E Brown teaches us the very essence of life, and what it mean to love. What emotional pain means.
But yeah, if I had to stop making myself feel like a circlejerker, I do genuinely like his music. It's fun, it's lyrically brutal and the humor sinks. Plus, the effort that Jim E and his Band makes to fit into this aesthetic is brilliant.
I must say, please check out my man Jim E Brown. He is our generations Kurt Cobain.
VERDICT: Distinction