Review: Jr. Sea - Learning To Vanish
[Tough Love; 2014]
Rating: 5.5/10
By Abbie Doyle, Copy Editor
Key Tracks: "Be Good," "I'm Hungry"
There is virtually nothing to be found about the mysterious musician/producer Jr. Sea in the massive scope of the Internet. This anonymity is both frustrating and impressive; surely an up-and-coming artist wants to be as “out there” as can be, but that also carries the risk of being lost in the sea of ever-emerging music.
One fact that can be gleaned, however, is that Jr. Sea is a one-man act from London who writes, records and produces his own music. Learning to Vanish is his first full-length album, and the mystery man certainly does a good job of creating a sound distinctly his own.
While it’s hard to miss the shadows cast by artists such as Animal Collective, Deerhunter and Vampire Weekend, Jr. Sea isn’t terribly reminiscent of other acts. For one thing, Jr. Sea relies heavily on electronica and not so much on instruments like guitar, bass or drums. Jr. Sea proves his skill as a producer by creating a full, complex album despite these absences.
The album starts out a little slow with “Woke up Backwards.” A synthesized harmonica hazes over the vocals, “Woke up backwards today / The night is the day and they’re servin’ / Don’t you worry these days / And it’s too dark for a taste.” The vocals become distorted and overlaid with ambient effects, making Jr. Sea hard to understand. Auto-tune kicks up his range, and the sweet, short track is over before the listener knows it.
This song is the perfect amount of vague to be placed at the beginning of Learning to Vanish. It’s hard to say what this album is really about; the moods bounce from relaxed (“Drowned in Paradise”), to mildly excited (“I’m Hungry,” “Holiday from Pain”), to party-hearty (“Out of Body Auto-Reply”) and the lyrics don’t make much sense, even on the rare occasion they’re even understandable. It seems as though Learning to Vanish was designed to intrigue and possibly confuse rather than to enlighten. If that is Jr. Sea’s goal, then he’s done a fantastic job; his debut is just as perplexing as he is.
It’s very possible that a listener will find themselves declaring a new favorite track with each listen, but the three that stand out most prominently are “Horror of Home,” “Be Good” and “Weather System Yawning.”
“Horror of Home” is one of the few tracks to feature noticeable guitar and percussion. The guitar is sweet and mellow, a pleasing accent to Jr. Sea’s light, breezy vocals. The song breaks down about three-fourths of the way through when an incredibly synthesized guitar solos in a buzzing, droning fashion. It’s not exactly sonically beautiful, but it’s a compelling and strong lead-in to “Be Good.”
The only instrumental track on Learning to Vanish, “Be Good” is a fun way to examine just how electronic instruments can be manipulated to create evocative, thoughtful tunes. A bass tone carries the song through while rollicking high tones add contrast and interest. Brian Eno would approve, but maybe suggest further exploration or weirdness.
The closing track, “Weather System Yawning,” is slow, meditative and decisively closing. “If you’re learning to vanish / Call me if you manage / I’ve got to get an empty place or two / My vision is haunted / The actions are thwarted.”
The album is consistent in its style and does a nice job of keeping the listener in tune. There isn’t a track on this album that will make it to Billboard’s Hot 100, but Jr. Sea has created a striking debut album. The future should only hold promise for this artist.
