Review
Music Reviews
KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:
Young YouTube phenomenon - it's a phrase we hear a lot. But when it comes to Jacob Collier, it's kind of true.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "IN MY ROOM")
JACOB COLLIER: (Singing) There's a world where I can go to tell my secrets to in my room, in my room.
MCEVERS: Collier's videos got the attention they deserved. The 21-year-old has just released his first album. The title comes from this track, the cover of The Beach Boys' "In My Room." Reviewer Tom Moon says the album is a dizzying ride.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "IN MY ROOM")
COLLIER: (Singing) I'm alone, but I won't be afraid in my room.
TOM MOON, BYLINE: In his endearingly nerdy videos, Jacob Collier shows how he makes music. He plays all the instruments and sings all the parts, using a laptop to layer his tracks into massive arrays of sound.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SAVIOUR")
COLLIER: (Singing) I don't need you to save me, no. I don't need you saving me, no.
MOON: Lots of producers work this way. Collier's secret weapon is a short attention span. He's allergic to anything repetitive, anything that's the least bit ordinary. Listen to where he takes that track a little later.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SAVIOUR")
COLLIER: (Singing) You say that I'm lost and you can help me find that I don't want to be a saviour no more. I wish you could tell me something.
MOON: Collier's music revolves around sudden changes of meter or mood or feel. There are outbreaks of euphoria in the singing and behind them, serious instrumental wizardry in the playing.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WOKE UP TODAY")
COLLIER: (Singing) Found my strength to feel it. I woke up today. Heaven knows it, found a girl who makes me sing.
MOON: There's a mad genius aspect to Jacob Collier. His music darts around constantly. Sometimes he abandons hypnotic grooves before they even fully coalesce. He usually winds up someplace interesting, and that's what sets him apart. Not only does he have a seemingly endless supply of ideas. He's got the chops to execute them and the fearlessness to try anything.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DOWN THE LINE")
COLLIER: (Singing) I was walking down the line.
MCEVERS: Jacob Collier's debut is called "In My Room." Our reviewer is Tom Moon.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DOWN THE LINE")
COLLIER: (Singing) ...Peace of mind. Then I saw you. You were taking it slow and walking it one step at a time. You said, listen, Stranger. I'm feeling low now. I don't know which way to go. I said, if you're lost now, maybe I could help you along and sing you a song and move you on.
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