Jon McKiel - The Nature Of Things

Jon McKiel's sophomore release The Nature Of Things is easily the most instantly likable CD I've received this year. It's a very easy-to-absorb collection of high quality indie rock, which incorporates elements of alt-country and east coast pop to create a sound that may not be entirely original, but still jam packed with all kinds of newness that you won't easily be able to find a bad word to say about it.

I'm actually surprised that I had never heard of Jon before. His self titled debut was considered one of The Coast's Top 50 Albums of 2006, and I'm fairly certain that this one will make its share of lists at year end as well. It opens with War On You, a riff heavy rocker that starts out reminding me a bit of Ryan Adams, at least in the vocals. As the tune progresses, the horns kick in, and it starts to sound like the follow up to another great album that came out last year, namely Amos the Transparent's Everything I've Forgotten To Forget. In fact, in many ways I think that this one is a good companion piece to that solid release, as well as possibly Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It In People. They all crank out one great tune after another, and this one continues to draw me in with every subsequent listen. It features rockers aplenty such as 123 My Friends, Walking With The Dead and Somebody's Listening, but it also features several slower songs that are layered in emotion. The horn in Sleep Cities for example, is used ever so slightly so as to give the song more of a majestic feel, while Poor Heart contains some very powerful singing, making the song something that, in a perfect world, would be shooting up the chart and becoming an instant classic. The Nature Of Things never strays too far from one or two specific musical styles, but in this case it is an asset because the album works together as a very strong and pleasurable piece of work.

The above picture was taken by Chris Smith of Funkfactor.

Jon McKiel is performing a No Shame event at Rancho Relaxo on July 10th, with Rural Alberta Advantage and Mandibles.

Myspace: Jon McKiel
Video: 123 My Friends on Live From Sun Studio Blogspot.
Video: Never Forget @ Live From Sun Studio Blogspot.
Download: War On You mp3

Download: 123 My Friends mp3