Gentleman Jesse

Reviews

Gentleman Jesse I Wonder if You Would Even Notice: Singles and Rarities LP

This Atlanta four-piece plays upbeat, hook-driven power pop built on clean guitars and tight melodies. Sharing some of the same DNA as EXPLODING HEARTS or the TRANZMITORS but with a lighter, less aggressive touch, GENTLEMAN JESSE trades in most of the speed and harshness for classic pop songwriting. Formed in 2006 by Jesse Smith with drummer Dave Rahn (both from CARBONAS), the band’s early singles captured a scene steeped in melody and a fascination with the late ’70s band the NERVES. This collection gathers sixteen tracks from those first five years, most around two minutes long, offering a concise picture of their evolution. Later songs like “I Want What’s Mine” and “I Can’t Hardly Take It Anymore” stand out for their extra bite and momentum, but damn if my brain doesn’t keep going back to the first track, “I Don’t Wanna Know (Where You Been Tonight),” which is just a really good pop song. The collection as a whole works as a snapshot of an era when a bunch of punks started playing pop music. The lyrics, true to style, stick pretty close to affairs of the heart.

Gentleman Jesse Lose Everything LP

Melancholy songs always sound beautiful. If you are someone who does not pay attention to lyrics, you will easily be lost in the pleasing, comforting sounds of “Lose Everything.” If you pay attention to lyrics, the disillusion and desolation being sung is wonderfully cathartic. It’s been ten years since the last GENTLEMAN JESSE record. On this one, the pandemic forced him to go it alone and play all the instruments. The isolation and self-reliance adds to the effect. My mind starts going as the music plays and then an interesting lyrical line will jump out of me. The result is an intimate collection of songs that reminds me of some of the more introspective ’80s college rock bands. 2021 was a shitty year and 2022 is starting off worse. As ELTON JOHN once said, sad songs say so much.