Fresh Perspective

Jay Som

Anak Ko

Polymath singer, songwriter and producer Melina Duterte has returned with her second album as Jay Som, relinquishing control over her sound by inviting her live bandmates and collaborators in, yet retaining the intimacy of her much-lauded debut, Everybody Works. Anak Ko delves into new territory: pop grooves inspired by the excellent ’80s releases of Prefab Sprout, as well as country and folk leanings. Duterte places an emphasis on acting with kindness and empathy, heard in direct chorus lines like “Tenderness is all I’ve got,” and songs that offer care, such as the album’s languid closer, “Get Well.”

Duterte showcases her ability to create songs with the illusion of space within a 35-minute record, drawing listeners in without overstaying her welcome. Anak Ko’s songs shift from crisp pop to elongated strings and pedal steel, embracing beauty. Duterte explores darker intentions too: album opener “If You Want It” is arresting and direct in its lyrics eviscerating a manipulative individual. Yet much of what Duterte has accomplished on Anak Ko reflects the balancing act depicted in its album artwork: songs that weave together contributions from a range of players, carried by Duterte’s singular vision. (Polyvinyl)

How did you approach creating your second record?

Everybody Works was an exciting, whirlwind of a time, and I was very fresh and wide-eyed about everything, very much a “yes” person. For a second, I feel like I got very burnt out by that. But I feel like I’ve grown so much from that period of time, and I think that this record is a transitional period from that. I just wanted to make music that I wanted to make, and I wanted to have my musically talented friends on it. I’m tired of hearing only myself in my music sometimes, so it gives a fresh perspective.

This record feels more refined and embraces groove.

My live drummer, Zach [Elsasser], plays on most of the songs. I feel like there’s this really strong musical connection that we have, and I just love the bass, it’s my favourite instrument ever. I wanted to showcase that. I feel like there’s so much you can do with it, rather than a guitar. a cohesive, unified whole, sounding like the satisfying product of one great, fun studio session. They haven’t set out to recreate the rousing, thematic triumphs of 2005’s Separation Sunday or 2006’s Boys and Girls in America, but they have recaptured a lot of the magic that makes them so cherished by a certain sect of rock’n’roll fans.

With the return of keyboardist Franz Nicolay for the first time since 2008’s Stay Positive, singer Craig Finn has said “this six-piece lineup of the Hold Steady is the best band we’ve ever been.” It’s clear that they are invigorated, and Thrashing Thru the Passion might be the most fun and carefree Hold Steady record yet. For the first time, Finn is competing with his own solo effort ( I Need a New War) for the best Craig Finn album of the year. These songs evoke an assortment of characters — a washed-up comedian, a wayward traveller, a group of disengaged partygoers, a doomed mobster — who tend to be down on their luck and feeling like they’re wasting their lives away. But there’s also a sense of movement that suggests that, while things are strange and messy and definitely not ideal, there’s more on the horizon. (Frenchkiss) PSYCH- ROCK