3.5/5: ‘Extroverted PC pop from the midlands’ nuttiest audio scientist’
‘Winterreise’ is the debut album from Jerskin Fendrix. An extroverted, and rather quirky character from the midlands. Having walked ground semi fronting post punk group Famous. He now creates experimental and eyebrow raising pop music. The tracks presented here have evolved over a few years of support slots in the south London scene. Bands like Black Midi and Goat Girl have adopted him, and turned him my way. One fan at a Black Midi gig claims to me that he is “better” than the former. So with the record taking so long, I wondered if Fendrix would exceed these expectations on his studio debut.
There’s no worries about Fendrix’s ambition being lackluster on this project. Something admirable from the get go. Starting with 7 minute ‘Manhattan’. Fendrix drives us through some deliberately disjointed, yet enjoyable movements, putting his own spin on ‘pop music’. The first part being an instrumental keyboard piece. It is especially heartfelt. Though played on a cheap MIDI keyboard (over a piano? why Jerskin?). It’s meticulous approach is applaud worthy. There is a brilliant anguish in his playing that breaks the velocity scale towards the end of his solo. And as the track progresses into its further, synth led parts it sounds more and more outrageous – like a Kanye West number. Especially as the vocoder and lyrics go completely out to lunch in the third movement. Fendrix gives a ramble about passing out at an airport after struggling to walk with fluid coming out of his legs. It sounds like it is about the Edema condition. All the more transfixing to my ears.
‘Black Hair’ is even more spectacular. A track based on Japanese ghost stories. Fendrix showcases an impressive love for films here, with influences coming from Kwaidan (1965) , Black Orpheus (1959) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018). The track has these heavy 808s taken straight from the trap scene. They grate over Fendrix’s dramatic and well thought out murder scene verses. By the end of his verses, some futuristic synths come in and do Fendrix’s lyrics justice. It’s a perfect example of where instrumental minimalism is enough. A similiar, and enjyoable delivery is showcased on the industrial esque ‘Swamp’.
On the other side of the spectrum. There is the instrumentally dense ‘A Star Is Born’. A track with especially great production. It’s as if 2000s dance pop and 80s synth pop had a child. It wouldn’t be out of place on the last Charli XCX record. The plucky synths are enough to stick to your brain. Alike to a snail that has had salt poured over its mucus. Fendrix lyrically takes a sarcastic look at today’s standards to become a major label artist. He admits ‘My voice aint the best you’ve heard’ before claiming ‘but God my nails are perfect’. The sardonic, camp attitude of this cut is downright fun. I love it.
Whilst Fendrix’s weird and wacky approach wins me over for the most part, it can get to confusing, and nonsensical territory sometimes. Making this record less consistent than I was hoping.
One example being ‘Last Night In New York’. A track that could be rearranged in structure. There are some throwaway sounds of helicopters and faint background chatter for the first 2 minutes. This becomes especially frustrating when the second half of the track is better than brilliant. The menacing guitars compliment Jerskin’s peculiar request for us to ‘film me’, followed by some synths that sound like cut up telephone interface. Although I say this, it ends abruptly feeling unfinished, especially lyrically.
‘I’ll Clean Your Sheets’ is a similiarly unfinished sounding track. Although it is an instrumental gem again. Taking on a surprising baroque pop twist. Fendrix sounds bored as he delivers a half written monologue about another man fathering his children. Maybe a little unethical for delivery, and sub par for lyrics.
There are many moments of auditory experiments that I admire more than like. The second half of the song ‘Depecc’ for example sounds like a tinnitus ring. With some more tonal changes this could be brilliant, but it feels scarce and unfinished. Likewise with the PC pitched vocals on ‘Onigiri’. If done well he could pull off what Prince did on the ‘Sign O’ The Times’ album. Instead Jerskin obnoxiously layers his vocals and repeats “I remember when you” numerous times.
This album is entertaining, and I gave my attention to it all morning. The highlight tracks are freaky pop at it’s best, and the worst merely bedroom producer making mistakes. See what you make of it. The sky’s the limit for Fendrix’s future.
Standout Songs: ‘Manhatten’ , Second half of ‘Last Night In New York’ , Black Hair’ , ‘Swamp’ , ‘A Star Is Born’
