Artist: Jason Simon
Release: Jason Simon
Released: 2010
Label: Tee Pee
Catalog#: TPE-119
Format: FLAC / Lossless / Log (100%) / Cue
Country: USA
Style: Alternative Folk,Alternative Singer/Songwriter,Alternative/Indie Rock,Indie Folk,Neo-Psychedelia,Indie Rock
Let's Begin
I Let It Go
Good Hope Road
The Dust Does Blow
Hollow Eyed And Howling
As I Went Out One Morning
A House Up On A Hill
What You Put Into Your Head...
Strayin'
The Clear Light
Jason Simon, the guitarist and voice behind meaty neo-psychedelic stoner rockers Dead Meadow, has more in his record collection than old Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer records. His eponymous solo debut, a bare-bones collection of acoustic dirges and poignant country-tinged folk tunes, seems cut from the same era, but with a far gentler hand. The appropriately titled opener, “Let’s Begin,” will be the litmus test for most listeners, as its languid, dreamlike cadence provides the foundation for what’s to come. Simon’s skillful blend of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's balladry, 16 Horsepower's torrential brimstone, Bert Jansch's intricate guitar work, and Bonnie "Prince" Billy's loose delivery works best on apocalyptic tumbleweed epics like “The Dust Does Blow” and “A House Up on the Hill,” both of which manage to sound visceral and urgent despite their molasses-fueled trajectory. Armed with nothing but his reedy voice, guitar, and the occasional harmonium, bulbul tarang (Indian banjo), and backing vocal, Simon makes a big sound out of very little, and much like contemporaries Faun Fables, Espers, and Woven Hand, it’s a sound that’s both achingly familiar and alarmingly wild.