Spectreview: Jean Chalant – Love Beyond Magic

-TEAL-

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Peter C. Murray’s avant pop project, Jean Chalant, comes from both compositional training and from a “endless search for beauty.” Sometimes, these two forces can be diametrically opposed, depending on how much you derive beauty from raw energy and je ne se quoi over comparatively academic craft. For their part, the music on Love Beyond Magic seems to strive for that space occupied by artists like Destroyer or Of Montreal: high-minded, compositionally-based pop structures buttressed by Murray’s unique, against-the-grain voice. Indeed, similar to Dan Bejar or Girls’ Christopher Owens, Murray’s phonemes can be out there in ways that can become their own pleasure; check out how he pronounces the word “anymore” on inscrutable waltzy opener “Better Looking Glass” or how “come” seems to eke out of his tongue like a good-sized marble across its name-checked tracks. Murray’s clearly got a gift for pop writing, although a few tracks here come across a little too sterile, like the long, meandering “Fears” or the strangely amelodic “Dolphin Aware.” When they hit though, they hit, specifically when his compositional instincts and sense of melody intersect most sublimely. “Get A Life” boasts a lovely elliptical guitar line and an inspired 9/4 signature that recalls some of Ariel Pink’s best work, while serene closer “Beautiful World” constantly-rephrased lead line and layered vocals over its chorus make for a spectacular effect. It might take a few moments to get used to its world, but Love Beyond Magic’s alien architecture is definitely worth your time.

Recommended for making gingerbread houses.