He's a dark horse is enigmatic Mancunian maestro JIM NOIR. For one thing, we don't even know if his moniker is actually his real name or not, and he plays his musical cards equally close to his chest, having led us on numerous stylistic wild goose chases over the course of his first two EPS "Eanie Meanie" (2004) and this year's lauded follow-up "My Patch".
Well, with his third, eagerly-awaited effort "A Quiet Man", Jim's back and this time he's moved out of his Mum and Dad's gaff. "I love having the place to meself to record and break records and stuff, but I'm struggling with the clothes washing lark," he admits in his press release. "I live with a couple of girls and I've ended up wearing some of their stuff by mistake. I'm not into bras and that, though. I'm not transbendual."
'Course not Jim, perish the thought. Nonetheless, it doesn't stop the mighty Noir's music from transcending genres and doing a bit of natty crossdressing along the way, and these leaps of musical (if not sartorial faith) conspire to ensure this shady character once again doles out meaures of eclectic genius with "A Quiet Man."
The EP opens with the title track. It wrongfoots with what sounds like a harp overture before slipping into more recognisable kooked pop a la Badly Drawn Boy with compressed harmonies and jaywalking basslines. There are also distinct hints of the Suer Furries, plus some winningly unlikely tempo changes and a ridiculously cheap drum machine that somehow only adds to the allure.
Good stuff, and there's plenty more flowing from the fountainhead as the EP continues. "I Me You I'm Your"s tongue-twisting title heralds the arrival of a tune featuring cheap, ambient keyboards, cruising west coast harmonies and a lyric which deliberately sends up the millions of soppy love songs out there. It's wry and tongue-in-cheek, yet actually strangely affecting too.
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"Turbulent Weather" once again conjures thoughts of the Super Furries with its' tale of the viccissitudes of love as described in terms of our ever-changeable weather. "When we get togther, I always hope there'll be nice weather," sings a hangdog Jim, before the track ends with rain and thunder. Aww! I bet he could pull Sian Llloyd with this, though.
To close, Jim again revisits his childhood with "Climb A Tree". It's a plaintive, acoustic-based song about our hero climbing a tree in his road as a kid and thinking the horizon looked miles away. Tambourine and what sounds like a mellotron conspire to create something instilled with a wide-eyed, Syd Barrett-style whimsy and it's all rather lovely indeed.
There are strong rumours of Jim Noir's three EPS to date being packaged as a compilation album, and at this rate that record could easily end up gaining a reputation similar to The Beta Band's "Three EPS", such is the diverse strength in depth displayed in his work. Like I say, he's a real dark horse is Jim Noir. But one who's very much in the running.
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