Net Music Review

Panic Prevention - Jamie T

Sometimes fist impressions can be deceptive. At first listen Jamie Treays's (aka Jamie T) debut sounds like a jumbled mess, an intriguing jumbled mess, but still a mess, however there is something that compels you to play it again and again until it all starts to make sense. And when it does finally start to make sense you will be incredibly glad that you persevered with what is surely one of the most interesting, refreshing debuts in a long time. Sure, his scattergun vocal delivery isn't the most tuneful but that misses the point, Jamie T is the latest in a long line of British songwriters to catalogue everyday life, dating back to Ray Davies through to The Streets and Artic Monkeys. Their trick, to make it sound enthralling, entertaining and almost enviable.

Starting off with one of the most bizarre openings of all time "Brand New Bass Guitar" sets the tone for what is to come, with the aforementioned instrument being strummed creating a backdrop for Jamie T and his motley crew to mumble and shout all over. Sounds awful? Not in the least, although it ends with our protagonist stating "I think that's the scrappiest version of that I ever done in my life.." hardly the Queen's English, but it sums it up nicely. "Salvador" opens with a tinny guitar and Jamie T wailing before a funky bassline takes over with understated, scratchy guitars blending in nicely. It finds Treays narrating us around a dark, dingy nighclub on his search for girls who have lied to their parents to be out. Starting to sound familiar yet? One of the album highlights, "Calm Down Dearest" again tells the story night out in London "walking it drunk down the strand" , talking rubbish for hours on end and not remembering any of it the next day "I remember what we doing then, I don't remember now". Oh, and did I mention that it has an achingly beautiful chorus? The fourth track "So Lonely Was The Ballad" is a trip down memory lane with some great word play "girls singing on the bus, but fella's kicking up a fuss" and maybe it just me, but a track that seems to echo the theme tune to British kids TV series "Grange Hill", but on acid.

"Back In The Game" finds Jamie T back in "Brand New Bass Guitar" mode, a simple strum on an acoustic bass that brings the pace down a notch. "Operation" starts with a sample before exploding in your face with a plodding bassline holding together a ska influenced track that laves the way for another album highlight, "Shelia". It's here we probably find young Mr Treays at his lyrical best painting a vivid cast of characters describing the plight of an abused woman with a simple backing. The storytelling is so strong that you find yourself empathising with the main character. The album does start to wind down after this point with a series of forgettable rather than bad tracks such as "Pacemaker" and "Dry Off Your Cheeks" that seems to try and marry dub with reggae. "Ike & Tina" comes across all eighties with its tinny production and samples, then "If You Got The Money" bursts out with it ska tinged guitar and beat, it breaks the tail off towards the end of the album along with "Alicia Keys" which manages to wind things up nicely with hints of dub and hip-hop.

Jamie T has been described as "Artic Monkeys crossed with The Streets doing their best Joe Strummer impression" and you wouldn't be far off with that. This is an unmistakeably British album telling stories in a typically British way, celebrating British life (of sorts) in a quirky manner, which is so very…British. This debut and artist are guaranteed to worm their way into your affections and stay there for a very long time.