Thanks to the inexplicable popularity of my Submit Music page, I always have a huge digital pile of indie albums and EPs awaiting my perusal. But at this time of year — after I’ve spent months consumed by the endless onslaught of major fall releases — the backlog becomes nothing short of insane. Thankfully, now that the holiday rush is finally over, I’ve got some time to play catch-up. Here’s a recent gem from the massive stack. Hope you dig it as much as I do. And remember: If you’ve got something I need to hear, send it my way. If I think you’re half as good as you think you are, I just might include you sometime.
Jaewon
Magnus
HOME BASE: Chicago.
GENRE: Psyche-pop.
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Born from the depths of Satan’s stench, Jaewon emerged bound to steal souls and melt faces. There was only one problem: the sweet, melodic, and sensitive side of Jaewon. Jaewon will stab you where your ears bleed and also hit you in the heart strings, leaving you whistling and humming well after the booze has all been consumed and the party has crashed. Gathering from the most wicked elements of psychedelic pop, rock, and ’60s nostalgia, Jaewon blends your favorite genres like an evil serpent with its clench on your throat. Conserve your breaths, you will need each gasp.”
MY TWO CENTS: Most of us are mere mortals tragically doomed to live out our sorry existence at a specific point in the time-space continuum. Not Jaewon.
Based on his alluring album Magnus, the enigmatic singer-songwriter (and, presumably, multi-instrumentalist and producer) resides somewhere in The In-Between — a familiar yet fuzzy netherworld at the nexus of sonic and stylistic infinity. You won’t find The In-Between on any map. You can’t pinpoint it on any calendar or select it on any playlist. To get there, you need to dim the lights, don the headphones, crank up Magnus, close your eyes and open your mind. Soon, if you’re truly a kindred spirit, you might be fortunate enough to find yourself transposrted to a mysterious location that is playfully, precisely poised at the midpoint of the ’60s and ’70s. Equidistant from pop and rock. Right in the middle of yacht rock and psychedelia. Somewhere on the road from The Brill Building to Southern California. Sitting on the cusp of light and dark. It’s a place that’s not too smooth yet not overly edgy. It’s cerebral and soulful. Grounded yet soaring. Vibrant yet muted. Outgoing yet restrained. Nostalgic yet fresh. It’s a place you’ve never been. A place you didn’t even know you yearned for. And a place that you will never want to leave. Welcome to The In-Between. Welcome to the edge of forever. Welcome home. Say hello to Magnus.
