Sundry Rock Song Stock＜Black Vinyl＞

On his second album, 2019s The Same But by Different Means, Montreal producer/solo artist Yves Jarvis created a beautiful patchwork of impressionistic fragments that blurred together into a sustained mood. Cobbling together experiments with bleary, early-morning R&B songs, experimental tape manipulation, and lonely singer/songwriter fare, Jarvis (real name Jean-Sebastian Audet) followed no discernible stylistic guidelines, but glued his musical puzzle pieces together with an overarching reflective emotional tone. This sonic design based on color theory continues with third album Sundry Rock Song Stock, trading in the thoughtful, solitary blue qualities of The Same But by Different Means for a lively, organic lushness represented by the green hues of the cover art. More lively doesnt translate to more rocking by any means, as Sundry Rock Song Stock keeps the same mellow, floating energy of much of Jarvis output. Instead of the late-night contemplation of the last album, however, these ten pieces all have a bright, early-morning optimism, even at their most abstract. Jarvis stacks imperfect vocal harmonies on many tunes, recalling the early Beach Boys-modeled vocalizations of Panda Bear and Animal Collective on tracks like For Props. Instead of implementing the ritualistic woodlands approach of Animal Collective, Jarvis songs lean into smooth soft-rock bass lines, gentle electric piano, and even-tempered melodies. The gently drifting Victim has the same sunny softness as Chris Cohens kind-hearted psychedelia, and the more minimal Emerald builds from a patient series of synth loops to a hushed choir of voices and acoustic guitar strums. The production on more electronic tracks is reminiscent of Caribous more emotionally naked material, which fits nicely with the organic instrumentals of the more traditionally arranged songs. Much like The Same But by Different Means, the ten songs on Sundry Rock Song Stock quickly deteriorate from structure into texture, Jarvis once again showing off his knack for weaving experiments with tape delay gracefully in and out of more accessible sounds. Even the country tinge of closer Fact Almighty cracks at the seams to let in unexpectedly psychedelic sounds of synths and phased-out drums. Though Sundry Rock Song Stock is relatively short at just 33 minutes and ten tracks, its another superb example of Jarvis unique style. All of his pleasantly confusing sounds align, creating an atmosphere that perfectly communicates the themes of openness and quiet excitement for the entirety of the album. ~ Fred Thomas