Campbell, Tuned In: It's no sonic boom, but this 'Jet' soars

'Jet Black' by Gentleman Reg

'Jet Black' by Gentleman Reg

It's no sonic boom, but this 'Jet' soars

"JET BLACK," Gentleman Reg (Arts & Crafts)

Gentleman Reg doesn't look much like a rock star, and he sounds even less like one.

His voice is fey and prone to wilting in the mix of the more rowdy songs on his new "Jet Black." Meanwhile, the arrangements are decidedly unpolished slices of indie-pop - not the stuff that generally catches the ear of the mainstream.

Gentleman Reg is also known as vocalist Reg Vermue, who is currently supported by drummer/percussionist Greg Millson, guitarist Francois Turrenne and keyboardist Kelly McMichael. His Toronto-based act is a part of the Arts & Crafts gang of Canadian musicians that also includes Broken Social Scene, Feist, and Stars. And just like those other acts, Gentleman Reg is no amateur, despite initial appearances.

Vermue shuns conventional means of magnetism, and those who give him a chance (i.e. give themselves a chance to adjust to his voice and ragtag sound) are likely to be taken by "Jet Black." Eventually.

There's an honesty in the mix that supersedes awkwardness. And in time Vermue's high voice proves to be surprisingly strong in conveying emotion, most clearly in the stark setting of the touching "Oh My God," but even when he seems smacked around by instrumentation, as on the cascading "You Can't Get It Back."

Meanwhile, Millson's rhythm sections are insanely addictive and fresh, and the fanciful turns of "Jet Black" twist from the circus-ish fidgets of opener "Coastline" to the dreamy, lounge-esque dance of "We're in a Thunderstorm" to the music-box-like looping of "Falling Back."

To appreciate "Jet Black," listeners need only go into it with an open mind - which of course is the gentlemanly (or ladylike) thing to do.

Rating (five possible): 4

'We Just Are' by The Japanese Popstars

Fake Japanese DJs generate mass appeal

"WE JUST ARE," The Japanese Popstars (Gung-Ho! Recordings)

In contrast to the many austere electronic acts out there, the Japanese Popstars aim for broad appeal on "We Just Are," sparing listeners the aggravation of being dragged too far down the rabbit hole of niche music.

Despite the act's name, the accessible sound comes from a trio of DJs from Northern Ireland - Declan McLaughlin, Gareth Donoghue and Gary Curran - and compared to others in the general genre, "We Just Are" is a full-bodied experience.

After a polite, hello-ish opening intro, the moody threesome captures a range of emotions not typically found in synthetic music. A couple of vocal loops add suggestiveness to "Sample Whore," for example, while the spacious tinkling and sweeping strokes of "The Smile" indicate purity.

Sometimes the Japaneses Popstars' noise is not altogether pleasant, as when aggressive electro-hornets sting the air of "Face Melter" and when the fussy "F19b (Droppin' Bombs)" sounds, indeed, like a series of falling bombs crashing into a crackling foundation. Yet in contrast are the romantic arches of the dreamlike "B.C.T.T." and the whimsical charms of "Dr. Frenchy Bernard."

Occasionally a track will go on a multi-faceted adventure on its own: The churning rhythm at the beginning of "Rise of Ulysses" seems to gently till the aural topsoil at first, but then gets increasingly insistent as it chops into ever-tougher terrain. Meanwhile, "Delboy's Revenge" is a mashup of cascading electricity, old-shooter-videogame effects, and gripping fits of rhythm alternating with bouts of deconstruction. (Ironically, "Total Distorted Mayhem" may be the most congruous track in the bunch.)

Through it all, "We Just Are" doesn't often waste time on lyrics or vocals or much of anything, really, that detracts from the cadence. That kind of focus is what fans of this sort of music usually want.

Rating: 3 1/2

'Though, I'm Just Me' by Maia Hirasawa

Charismatic singer's a bit too chatty

"THOUGH, I'M JUST ME," Maia Hirasawa (Thrive)

Swedish-Japanese pop singer Maia Hirasawa goes for a conversational style of vocal delivery on her "Though, I'm Just Me." It's refreshing, but she talks too much.

The Gothenburg-based former jazz singer makes expressive use of her imperfect voice - often bringing to mind that five-letter B-word with which many quirky female singers have a love/hate relationship, B-j-o-r-k. However, Hirasawa is more melancholy and relationship-oriented than her Icelandic counterpart, albeit every bit as whimsical and childlike.

The songs are charming, frequently filled with pretty backing vocals to create an illusion of flights of fancy. Sometimes they're laced with strings or decorated with chimes, and sometimes the foundation is more sparse, backed mainly by her acoustic guitar.

The most memorable tracks are the more complicated ones. "Crackers," featuring Miss Li, is a funky little circus of a song flooded with vocals, "And I Found This Boy" is buoyantly built on a girl-group chorus, and the sweet "Gothenburg" is like a waltz from a fairytale, festooned with la-la-la's. Hirasawa adds to the intrigue by latching dark lyrics onto the often-vivid arrangements, as when she vaults into escapist denial on "Mattis & Maia" and notes, "Maybe your heart belongs to someone else" on "Melody." Even the bouncy "And I Found This Boy" has a sordid side - "He had a girl back home."

Yet with all the imaginative music flourishes and unexpected twists, it's rather difficult to pay steady attention to "Though, I'm Just Me," which buckles under the weight of too many confounding lyrics, too many songs, too much repetition of ideas, and Hirasawa's raspy, sometimes ill-enunciated, rush of words. It's like listening to a likable person tell a too-long story she's already told you several times before.

Maybe that's just her, but she needs to work on it.

Rating: 3 1/2

© 2009 Knoxville.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.