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Sound Advice: Bright Lights & Bruises by Jay Malinowski
Every Tuesday, Torontoist scours record store shelves in search of the city’s most notable new releases and brings you the best—or sometimes just the biggest—of what we’ve heard in Sound Advice.
After nearly five years of constant obligations brought on by the blockbuster success of his band Bedouin Soundclash, singer Jay Malinowski found himself exhausted, struggling with demons in the middle of multiple life upheavals, and at a personal low. He retreated west to his hometown, Vancouver, and set up shop in an apartment studio to record his debut solo album, Bright Lights & Bruises, out now on his band’s imprint label, Pirates Blend. What came out of those six months late last year is a collection of songs that, while not always consistent, are at times stark and stunning and show a songwriter in his early stages, capable of more than the brand he’s built so far.
Opening with the tone-setting “There’s A Light,” the sparse, melancholy piano rings unforgettably but unfortunately the same can’t be said about the rather uncompelling lyrics. Overly metaphorical or too vague for anyone but the writer himself, the wordplay is manipulated into some memorable melodic phrasing at times, but for an album born out of such grief, one would be forgiven for expecting something a little more visceral. Soaked in reverb, it works wonders for creating empty, distant atmospherics, reflecting the desperation and isolation behind this work, carrying Malinowki’s distinctive voice as it whispers (“Narceritos”) or wails (“Santa Monica”). The most promising moments on Bright Lights & Bruises are the mid-range moments, like on “Life Is A Gun” (streaming above) or “Loving Hand,” when Malinowski settles into some well-worn folkie patterns, wearing them well.
There’s no shortage of the troubled roots-y troubadour in his home’s musical landscape, but Malinowski’s large fanbase may find this direction a surprising change, and the rest of us will find a few surprises too.