THE JAC – Faux Pas

Shane | 22 November 2012 | Reply

Label: Egomaniac Music
Released: August 2012
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7/10

Joe Algeri has two decades of music behind him, from folk rock to power pop and beyond, including two solo albums in recent years, but this is the first time he has bestowed upon himself the luxury and hardship of recording an album entirely by himself – ie, playing “every note and noise on this album”!

The first thing you’ll note about “Faux Pas” is that it is gloriously eclectic, with Algeri revelling in the freedom to “for the first time in [his] life… record exactly what [he] wanted, the way [he] wanted”. Beatles jiggery pokery stands next to surf guitars and psych-outs and folky melodies, all accompanied by Algeri’s peculiarly quirky sense of humour, and supreme musicality.

Humour is a strong point on “Faux Pas” – I Play All The Instruments is a hilarious mission statement for making the album, from recording in pyjamas to being unable to tour due to the absence of an actual band; I Just Want To Be Weird and I’m A Glass Of Orange Juice are as self-explanatory as they can be; and Time Machine and Future Computers are as irresistibly catchy as they are weird.

There’s elements of all that has come before for Algeri in “Faux Pas”, as well as being very much rooted in his self in the now, and looking through an open door towards his future – perhaps transcendentally realising that he can do anything now that he has successfully challenged himself to do this.

Topping the cake with an ecstasy-laced cherry is the CD bonus disc “Drugs, trucks & Jesus”, featuring ten cover versions recorded alone or with friends and bands the likes of Maria Sokratis (a psychedelic and twisted take on Johnny Cash’s Jackson), Algeri’s band The Britannicas (Lucio Battisti’s Balla Linda), Liam Coffey (The Kinks’ Tired Of Waiting), Algeri’s other band Jack & The Beanstalk (When You Find Out) and more. Rollicking good fun, but don’t let it distract you from “Faux Pas”!

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