John Grant - Boy From Michigan
Musically speaking, there are two John Grants: the piano balladeer with the sonorous baritone, who draws on The Carpenters and ABBA’s melancholic core, and the vintage-synth geek who adores Cabaret Voltaire and Devo. From his second album onwards, the weighting has tended to tip one way or the other but with his latest release, Grant has struck an almost perfect balance. This can largely be credited to producer Cate Le Bon, who’s proven her talent for mixing euphony and oddness on her own avant-pop records.
The album's 12 songs provide rich ground for exploration both sonically and lyrically. They shift between plush, cinematic melodicism – notably on the title track and the slow-mo 'County Fair' – and electro-pop/post-punk experimentation (a Wire-ish 'Rhetorical Figure' and the squelchy, comically rude 'Your Portfolio'). Lyrically, Grant’s autobiographical drive is at full throttle, though he’s dialled down the dark, sardonic humour and self-deprecation. And while the pain of his strict religious upbringing and feelings of shame attached to his queerness are still in play, politics proper take centre stage on 'Your Portfolio' and 'Billy', which respectively address society’s worship of money and power, and the damage done by narrow definitions of masculinity. Boy From Michigan could have been push/pull in terms of style but instead, it's a compelling set piece.
Released June 25. Label: Bella Union