Album Review: Jody Porter record “Waterways” is persistent art
Veteran musician, Jody Porter released his latest album, Waterways, on December 21, 2020. The LP was recorded over the past couple of years, mostly by Porter, in England, with the finishing touches wrapped up at Porter’s home studio in Asheville, North Carolina.
In the early nineties, Porter was an integral member of the England-based shoegaze band, The Belltower. Later in the decade, with Fountains of Wayne, his work was seared into our collective auditory cortex. In 2008, Porter released Close to the Sun, his solo debut.
Joining the rock veteran on his latest album is what Porter refers to as a “revolving template” of longtime associates and friends he deems the Berlin Waltz. This host of individuals includes longtime friend and Fountains of Wayne band mate, Brian Young, occasionally on the drums and mixing the record, eventually earning a co-production credit. Mark Crozer of The Jesus and Mary Chain contributes on bass.
His musical past is diverse, and the new LP is an excursion of the veteran Porter’s extensive catalog of sounds, returning more so to the musical stylings familiar to his time in London.
The sound of waves and water lightly splashing and the sounds of seagulls morph into a soft orchestra that concludes the short introductory track, “Waterways, Pt. 1,” which opens the floodgates of “Sunsick Moon.” Heavy, rapid guitar work sets a tone of contemplated frustration from the start.
The number “Girl from the Other Side’ builds on the trajectory of the previous track with themes of realization and refuge. The track “Half Mast” weaves elements of what some may consider shoegaze and blues, reminiscent of Porter’s days with The Belltower. The track examines concepts of letting go of something one loves due to a series of unbearable letdowns. It plays like a frustrated love song.
For the past few years, we have all considered escaping to another place at one point or another. As Porter put it, you just want to “get on a boat and wait for it to be over with.”
Nautical themes accompanied with feelings a need to escape out of frustration spiral throughout Waterways, an album on which Porter reverts to the spirit which inspired him throughout his days in the early nineties, as an England-based member of The Belltower.
“Moonbeam Reach” is the first track of the album to have been released and it hooks listeners with poignant vocal pleas; “I never knew that I’d be here without you, but last year I had no reason to doubt you.” The song is propelled with echoing guitar riffs, powerfully-beating drums, bridged together with understated guitar strumming.
“Neverlasting Love” catapults the album into “Crashland,” which might be the defining point of the record… that at which everything clicks and Porter’s emphatic calls and exhausting exasperation are the most clearly ascertained.
Waterways continues with what can best be described as a well-balanced frenzy of emotional outlet. It varies in sound, but is consistent in it’s tone. The LP reflects blues-derived psych-rock, shoegaze and the catchy melodies of popular rock with no gimmicks.
Though it doesn’t initially feel like a concept album, Waterways has all of the necessary ingredients and at least exhibits a consistent theme. Principles of acceptance and letting go of frustration in escape are recurrent on an album that feels more and more intimate and affecting with each listen. Waterways improves over time. That’s the mark of good art.
Grab a copy of this worthy of your dollars record by visiting Porter’s Bancamp page. Always buy music directly from artists whenever possible.
Waterways Track Listing:
Waterways, Pt. 1
Sunsick Moon
Girl From the Other Side
Half Mast
Moonbeam Reach
Argonaut
Neverlasting Love
Crashland
Sheet Lightening
Synching Ships
Masters At Work
Waterways, Pt. 2
