by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Greg Jamie is probably best known as the leader of gothic folk rockers O'Death and the lo-fi Americana specialists Blood Warrior, but this year finds the release of his solo debut, Crazy Time. Having relocated from New York to Maine nearly a decade ago, Jamie's already earthy tales have continued to adapt to his surroundings, taking a haunting approach to folk storytelling and darkened textures, a mix of the natural and the synthetic. His songs remain as sharply compelling as ever, honest tales of doomed lives and dampened hopes, with Jamie's calming warble setting them in gentle tones. Even at its least hopeful moments, Crazy Time is purely based in folk beauty and Jamie is brilliant yet again.
"When I Get Home," the album's penultimate reflection, slowly crawls like a hymnal from the woodsiest of church processions. Weaving together wilting guitar melodies with gorgeous yet subtle vocal harmonies, it's a blessed composition of meditative beauty and the grace of nature's majesty. Wavering in and out of focus, Jamie's lyrics are both uplifting and emotionally crushing, ending with the heaviest of sentiments, "and if you come, and bring back my heart / don't forget to smile, as we're torn apart". The video, directed by Gabe Darling, is every bit as cinematic, a sweeping and surreal voyage of innocence from one plane of existence to the next. Capturing the song's restorative qualities, "When I Get Home" follows a disappointed kid as they make their own way throughout a unique world, experiencing life at it's most magical.
Speaking about the video, Darling offered:
"When Greg asked me to pick a song and come up with an idea for a music video I was immediately taken in by "When I Get Home." I like the slowly building meditative quality of it. It seemed to me that the story of a kid running away and returning through some force of magic or wonder was a nice juxtaposition for Greg's emotive adult voice.
I shot it all in about a day using my niece, Grace (because she's good) and my brother (because he's tall). I've always loved the glowing quality of 70s and 80s magical film effects so i wanted the creature she finds to be a bright cutout of the film itself. The idea of it being a portal evolved from there. It was a lot of fun to make and Grace is very excited for her big premiere."
TOUR DATES:
3/14-17: SXSW - Austin, TX
3/18: Valley of the Vapors - Hot Springs, AR
3/19: Springwater (w/ Stone Jack Jones) - Nashville, TN *
3/20: The World Famous - Athens, GA *
3/21: Snug Harbor - Charlotte, NC *
3/22: TBA - Knoxville, TN *
3/23: Green Lantern Bar - Lexington, KY *
3/24: The Hideout - Chicago, IL *
3/25: TBA - Cleveland, OH *
3/26: Small World Books - Rochester, NY #
* w/ Advance Base
# w/ MD Woods
Greg Jamie's Crazy Time is out now via Orindal Records.