Genre: Experimental / Rock / Pop

Track Listing:

01 I don’t want to die in poverty
02 The Cheapest Lunchbreak
03 Happy Prog Nightmare
04 Work Song
05 The Cheapest Night In
06 Because I’ve got nothing better to do
07 This is liked by many
08 Limping Ballerinas
09 The Silent Beef
10 The Rehearsal
11 Guitar Bells

Jack Shirt is a one-man project and Silent Beef is his second album. It’s a weird and marvellous sonic odyssey through a kaleidoscope of concise and witty musical adventures.

Mr Shirt plays pretty much all the mainstay instruments of modern music – guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, vocals and electronics. And he’s a very skilled player, weaving rich harmonic arrangements, befuddling time signatures and quirky atmospheres into this string of aural gems.

The music is extremely varied, ranging from strange folky numbers, more progressive rockish outings, some atmospheric space explorations and various lurching pieces that evoke an almost carnivalesque quality.

The whole album feels like a knowing and sly smirk. There’s an exuberance for music that weaves in and out with a unique irony and spark as the album unfolds. Somehow the playing always seems slightly ahead of the beat, as if rushing into a joyous and laughing manifestation.

The sense of wit and character the music conveys (and mostly there are no lyrics, its primarily instrumental) is reflected in the song titles. What independent musician or underground music lover could not empathise with a song called “I don’t want to die in poverty”?

Track titles like “Happy Prog Nightmare”, and “Because I’ve got nothing better to do” put a smile on my face, and they really do serve well as a mirror and door to the music this subtle and astute composer creates.

The songs are all short, often only a minute or two long, rarely more than three. This is a good thing; as is the album’s length (just shy of 30 minutes). The reason is anything but because you want it to be over! Rather, each song dips us into a different and fascinating milieu, tantalising the ears briefly before flitting away once more.

There’s something playfully seductive about this approach; one expensive chocolate is far more pleasurable than a huge block of the cheap stuff. As such I find myself compulsively listening to the album, trying to unlock its mysteries in the short moments of its revelation.

Mr Shirt clearly has a wealth of inspiration and ideas but in restraining them in this particular way he actually opens the songs into a kind of almost timeless fascination.

The other aspect of this music that I really like is its intimate, domestic feel. Recorded entirely in Mr Shirt’s flat in London, it feels like the music is indeed bouncing around in a small concrete apartment, homey and cluttered.

It’s like Mr Shirt has invited us round for a cup of tea and some bikkies and to sample his marvellous new album. This is odd, playful, edgy and joyous music, so if that sounds like your cup of tea then Jack Shirt’s lounge room is the place to drink it.