Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee

CAPTURING THE SHIMMER OF SUMMER VACATIONS

After a lengthy absence with nothing but two mediocre singles - 'Essentially' and 'Head Over Heels' - to show for it, Japanese Breakfast's career was in a bit of a lurch. Jubilee shows why. Its vicarious stylistic changes observe Michelle Zauner at a crossroads, long removed from her Midwest Emo days as the head of Little Big League. Every album, from the cutesy Twee of Psychopomp to the theatrical petulance of Soft Sounds, proffered progression with a style that expanded her repertoire without ever losing sight of what was learned before. That much, and more, applies to Jubilee, her best record to date. Ten songs, at a modest 37 minutes, rife with variability so refined and shapely one can't help but question how one artist achieved such a feat. If there were ever someone out of touch with Pop music since the days of The Beatles, strap them in to Jubilee, as Japanese Breakfast is here for lecture.

While the LP maintains a semblance of coherency - especially with the pairing of 'Posing In Bondage' and 'Posing For Cars' - each song strays from the expectations set before it. 'Paprika,' a stunning Chamber Pop exodus, wastes no time seizing attention through its booming hook and marching band horn arrangements. 'Be Sweet' travels to 80's New Wave with serious Disco influence, including the romantically-kitschy hook which places it slightly below other revisionists like Róisín Murphy and Jessie Ware. 'Kokomo, IN' prances with dainty strings and tropical guitars, bearing similarities to Brian Wilson's brand of sunny, Baroque Pop. 'Slide Tackle' incorporates a slack, city atmosphere with passing commotion, akin to City Pop, and curbside saxophone work, akin to Sophisti-Pop. And if that weren't enough, 'Posing For Bondage' subverts things further through spacious Synthpop, with sublime production techniques paced exquisitely, culminating in a climax highly reminiscent of Grimes' best work. All this happens before we get the first proper Japanese Breakfast cut - whatever that means nowadays - with 'Sit.'

Interestingly enough, this is where Jubilee's first stumble occurs. Though 'Savage Good Boy' paralyzes off the bat with the chipmunk-voiced "I wanna be your man," parallels to Zauner's predictable Twee can be felt. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, as 'Sit and 'In Hell' surround it adequately, but this three-song stretch doesn't provide any distinction amongst her discography. Quality is undoubted though. And that really picks up on 'Tactics,' featuring Zauner's best vocal performance and gorgeous compositional work that places her centerstage, spotlight locked in key. As for 'Posing For Cars' - rounding up what turned out to be a checklist review of sorts - there's no denying its abuse of sure-fire methods to close out albums. A magnificent guitar solo, soaring over increasingly-liberated instrumentation, offsets the rather stale Singer/Songwriter first half which, let's be honest, acts as an anticipatory tease for the momentous events to come. Predictable, yes, but undeniably grand. A fitting conclusion for Jubilee, an album that supports its namesake with triumphal devotion. Japanese Breakfast's years of hesitancy sure paid off. She's a talent worth admiring.