A year ago, Jon Brooks was spending his time posting
the music he’d made under his King Of Woolworths guise
on various web sites, or sending CDRs to his list of
celebrity fans. Then, Radio 1 DJ Mary Ann Hobbs heard
of him, started playing his tracks, and even gave him
a slot on her Breezeblock show. Now, Brooks has released
three singles, and is bringing out his first album.
Ming Star is a heteroclite collection of cinematic
moments of elegant beauty, kaleidoscopic romantism and
vibrant tension. Assembled as an imaginary soundtrack,
and inspired by Brooks’s early memories of television
programs, 60’s French movies and London, the album displays
unusual evocative atmospheres. At times, Brooks injects
samples of twisted conversations about stalkers (Stalker
Song) or Satanism (To The Devil A Donut)
into dark atmospheric tracks. Tension is also present,
in a more subtle form, on Kentish Town, which
opens the album. The track, reminiscent of My Bloody
Valentine, sees Brooks dropping his electronic surroundings
for a more electric feel, to create an underlying impression
of discomfort. Elsewhere, on Bakerloo or The
Watchmaker’s Hand, the ambience is far more relaxed,
with gorgeous sun-drenched melodies floating over lighter
backgrounds. And that is this duality of sound, not
so much conflicting with each other as converging to
a common focal point, epitomized on Kite Hill,
where Brooks envelops the tremors of a dying threat
in layers of melancholy, which gives Ming Star
its genuine charm. The man doesn’t stick to one style;
neither does he pretend to master any. This realistic
approach, devoid of cold pretension or unnecessary pride,
is the key to the unity of these recordings, and ultimately,
to Jon Brooks’s work. He seems to simply put himself
on display, with his good and bad sides exposed, and,
therefore, appears intrinsically human. His music is
beautiful and sincere.
With Ming Star, Jon Brooks demonstrates why
the current interest around King Of Woolworths has grown
so fast. This record is full of personality, sounds
like no other, and deserves a good place in every music
collection.
5/5 |
