CHAOS NOW*

Album review

With his second full-length studio album, CHAOS NOW*, Jean Dawson remains defiantly uncategorizable. His 2020 debut LP, Pixel Bath, was a patchwork of uncommon combinations that brought together loud guitars and aching melodies inspired by 1990s alt-rock radio with production more in line with the booming sounds of commercial rap. Dawson's anything-goes hybrid sound grows wilder and harder to pin down over the 13 tracks that make up CHAOS NOW*, with his core hooks and turbulent personality tying together vastly different stylistic approaches. Songs like "Kids Eat Pills*" and "Three Heads*" would have fit in with the angular alternative rock-informed sound of Pixel Bath, with melodic lines akin to Frank Ocean filtered through a Pixies-esque volume attack. Dawson expands his fascination with '90s alt-rock on "Porn Acting*," with a loud-soft dynamic and catchy chorus borrowed directly from early Weezer. Never content with mere re-creation, Dawson recontextualizes his take on familiar alt-rock sounds by adding aggressive vocal ad-libs or short blasts of delay treatment, further personalizing the sound and making his lyrics about directionlessness, isolation, and the hollow escapism of drugs and partying more of the focal point than any of his diverse musical influences. Things slow down on several somber acoustic folk numbers throughout CHAOS NOW*, with "Bad Fruit*" opening up from sad vocal harmonies and acoustic guitar into an opulent arrangement of synths, urgent string parts, and cinematic waves of percussion. "Pirate Radio*" is similar, with Dawson's weary vocals dancing with violin lines in melodies from the same camp of heartbroken indie folk that produced some of Phoebe Bridgers' and Bon Iver's best tunes. CHAOS NOW* is defined not just by Dawson's genre hopscotching, but by how he manages to make every new style he inhabits his own. His music has always been a little all over the place, and with the increasingly strong songwriting showcased here, it becomes clear that being all over the place is the entire point of Dawson's restless artistry.
© Fred Thomas /TiVo