Jordan Mayland and The Thermal Detonators
I Wrote It All Down
jordanmayland.bandcamp.com
Jordan Mayland has an insane work ethic, that much is clear. The Ames-based musician has offered his talents to a huge array of bands: indie-pop acts like Keepers of the Carpet and Nuclear Rodeo, electronica projects like Electronidoll and grittier punk bands like the Wheelers and Volcano Boys. When all is said and done, it’s his adaptability and versatility as a musician that allows him to get so much done.
With so much ground covered in his other projects, it’s surprising how he still carves out a unique sound on I Wrote It All Down, his latest album produced as part of Jordan Mayland and The Thermal Detonators. I Wrote It All Down is peppy and jazzy—piano and guitar-based pop music taking cues from British Invasion bands like The Zombies (who Mayland and the Thermald Detonators opened for last September in Ames), The Yardbirds and yes, even The Beatles.
The album is classic rock-hero worship at its very best, with jaunty keys, soaring guitar leads on nearly every song and a loose rhythm section that never takes the spotlight. But beyond that, there’s a timelessness to every song on the album. Songs like “I Can Control You” and album centerpiece “Jamie” sound like they could have been played on the radio 50 years ago and fit in just fine.
Lyrically, the songs are simple and bare-boned, mostly relying on Mayland’s spot-on vocals to carry their emotion. Lines are repeated ad infinitum on songs like “You Used to Call on Me” and “Jamie,” but Mayland gives a different shade of meaning with each delivery. “Jamie,” in particular, evidences Mayland’s strengths, beginning like an Elliott Smith track, softly sung and melancholic, but turning into a rousing and powerful rock song by the third refrain of its first nine lines.
The album represents another collaboration between Mayland and Philip Young — who, together, comprise the excellent electro-pop duo Tires. Mayland played every instrument on the album, with Young handling all recording and mastering. In the notes for the last song, the instrumental “Stop,” Mayland describes the recording process for the song, explaining how the two push each other to make better and better music. Here’s hoping they never stop.
