joshua jesty is refreshingly unpretentious and even self-depreciating, but in a humorous way, not as a means to fish for compliments. The Cleveland, Ohio musician has been recording in bands since 1998 and now gives us - literally if you opt for zero as the name-your-price option - his new EP 'wasn't the world supposed to end?' We'd suggest that this EP is well worth a couple of quid of anyone's money, and that's just for the gorgeous alt-rock of 'I can't wait to see your light'. Oh, and by the way, we're not being incompetent, it appears joshua jesty isn't a fan of capital letters. He talks of musical clutter; there's a heap of it, and its everywhere. It clogs up the inboxes of music blogs, labels, magazines, PR companies and more, and we know this all too well. joshua doesn't want to be a part of the clutter, but he's worried that he might be anyway. Well, that anthemic opener elevates him far above most of the junk we receive, so he can rest easy on that one.
This isn't about one track though, however good it is. 'I couldn't take it' doesn't quite reach the same heights, but it still sweeps away the clutter, despite being a reasonably routine indie-rock number; much the same could be said of 'so what' which comes with a short but soaring guitar solo. With the experience jesty has, has surely come the ability to judge what works and what doesn't, or that's how it seems anyway. 'some nights' is a little less immediate, mainly due to a slowing of pace, but the slight country infliction adds some nice variety. The impression given by both artist and record is that of someone who makes music because that's what he knows how to do, that's what he enjoys, and that's what he's good at. There are no delusions of grandeur, although he may be better than he gives himself credit for. The picked 'not hanging around' could have been a disappointment; it's quite pedestrian and that bit too conventional, but a few odd sound effects and coarse guitar haul it back to the right side of the line. The other real highlight besides the opener, is the song that bookends the EP. 'jumped the shark' is a little reflective but it feels as though its naturally cruising, almost as if it didn't need to be written, it just appeared fully-formed. We hope that joshua and his rabbit (yes, he really does have a rabbit) pick up a bit more recognition for their work.
joshua jesty's website
Stream or buy the EP
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