'Tuned In' review: Cosmo Jarvis is strange, all right

"Is the World Strange or Am I Strange?" by Cosmo Jarvis

“Is the World Strange or Am I Strange?” Cosmo Jarvis (25th Frame/The End)

Cosmo Jarvis is an inventive/indulgent artist run amok on his new “Is the World Strange or Am I Strange?” The 22-year-old multi-media talent has produced droll short films and music videos with eccentric flair, so it’s no surprise his new release is as much performance art as it is traditional singer-songwriter fare. Yet it’s shocking how vast the quality ranges from track to track, from the awesome to the awful.

On the upside, the British-American Jarvis (who seems more British than American) shows clear signs of brilliance on the alienation-themed album, starting with the ground-breaking first track, “Gay Pirates.” That opener is a rare gay love song by a straight man made absolutely unique by its mandolin-and-drum drive, pirate theme, and infectiously robust chorus and earnest delivery: “Yo-ho Sebastian, I want to love you good/We deserve much better than we’ve had.” Jarvis’ gruff charisma seals it as he convincing plays his role of a devoted, star-crossed lover.

Listeners will be understandably reluctant to move beyond “Gay Pirates,” but there are rewards if they do — including the sing-along title track with a surreal luau vibe; the sweet, acoustic ditty “Sure As Hell Not Jesus” that blows up into a rowdy refrain; and the freestyle-feeling rap/jazz hilarity of “Dave’s House Album” (“What happens in Dave’s house, stays in Dave’s house ... Before you know it, you’re naked in the proverbial deep end”).

Unfortunately, Jarvis doesn’t know when to rein it in, overreaching with bloated arrangements that undercut solid ideas such as the existential minstrel song “Let Me Out of My Head” and the well-intended call for communication, “The Talking Song.” It more or less gets progressively worse — Jarvis sounds out of it on “The Wave That Made Them Happy,” and he aggravates with his all-over-the-map noodling on “My Day.” Worst of all is the disastrous “Betty,” which tortures with nearly 10 minutes of aimlessness and painful repetitions of the lyric, “What’s wrong with Betty?”

A handful of more conventional “exclusive” tracks (for the American release) yank Jarvis out of his downward spiral with a combination of tattered blues, California-classic rock and dreampop — proving Jarvis a gifted man worth getting to know, even if he sometimes gets lost.

Rating (five possible): 3-1/2

© 2011 Knoxville.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.