Jon Middleton Self Titled Review

Jon MiddletonAvailable on Bandcamp

By: Sean Taylor

On the real first day of spring in Ottawa an email arrived asking me to write a cd review for the new self titled album from Jon Middleton- one half of the Jon and Roy moniker from BC.. While I was enjoying my first backyard beer and warm rays of the year I gave the music a few plays. I have to say that in this environment after a typical drawn out punishing winter it might be tough to be completely objective- but I'll give it a shot.  

As the cd opens and one, and then two basic songs pass through the speakers I'm generally impressed but I can't quite put my finger (or ear) on exactly what is doing it for me. It’s the completely untouched sound of the guitar on Driving South that puts some words in my head. These words include rustic, relaxed and soothing. Listening to the first two songs, I have been struck not so much with the songs but the production of the music. The simple melody and song on Under a Mountain seem to be complemented beautifully by the sparse almost lo-fi production values. Now that’s not to say we're listening to ragged tones or vocals, but more the bedroom approach. As I continued through the album I had a recurring notion of the sounds of Springsteen’s Nebraska. It’s not rare, but it is satisfying when a songwriter can simply lean on the craft of the song rather than additional accompaniment or electronic manipulation.

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