Jeff
Kelly - Indiscretion
 Artist:
Jeff Kelly
Title: Indiscretion
Catalog#: AHA!026
Price: $12.00  |
Tracks
on this CD: |
| Indiscretion
|
| Somebody's
Daughter |
|
The Jailer's Song |
| Cruel Velvet
Sea |
| Balthus,
King Of Cats |
| Ambrosio's
Song (She Looks Like Mary) |
| The
White Witch |
| Mrs.
Newton |
| The
Ghosts of Holy Rosary |
| His
Sould To Take |
|
|
“(Indiscretion) grew
out of nothing into a sort of 50-minute exercise on guilt, especially
Catholic, and
desire.” -Jeff Kelly
Green Pajamas leader Jeff Kelly has an overall theme on his new solo album, Indiscretion,
and it’s not well hidden. Mary adorns the front cover and the title track
leads the CD with Kelly’s ruminations on his religious
experiences, “Cruel guilt, shame and regret, I guess the Catholic in me
isn't all the way out yet.” Though the album maintains the title
song’s inspiration, the theme never becomes a crusade. Kelly continues to
mine classic literature, literary figures, and artists for subject matter, a
few of which he describes below:
“Ambrosio's Song (She Looks Like Mary)” - Inspired by the book
The Monk by Matthew Lewis. It's one of two songs I've written about this wild
and great novel, the other coming out on the next Pajamas album.
“Balthus, King of Cats” - About the painter and particularly
a
painting, “Cat With A Mirror no. 3,” of which I've tried to convey
the spirit of in sound and music.
“Mrs. Newton” - About a 19th century painter -James Tissot,
who fell madly in love with a divorced woman -Mrs. Newton- and lived with her
in scandal and sin at his London home until she died, at age 29, of consumption.
He painted her many times and when she died he found it hard to face and tried
to communicate with her (I think to some success!) through seances. It's just
a great romantic story.
“The Jailer's Song” - A man (the jailer) relates to his wife
his guilt over a woman condemned as a witch, who he knows in his heart is innocent,
as the flames of her execution light the distant morning sky.
“The Ghosts of Holy Rosary” - A sort of medley based on 3 songs
I wrote when I was a kid in the 1970s. A kind of meditation on my memories of
that school and, of course, the girls that went there....
“The White Witch” - inspired by the “Narnia” children's
books by C.S. Lewis.
Kelly observes that the recent Green Pajamas EP, In a Glass Darkly, was
more along the lines of his previous solo stuff and his gothic Goblin Market
side. Psych-pop fanatics take note, Indiscretion is haunted by the same
psychedelic phantoms as much of The Green Pajamas' work, filled with gorgeous,
glorious psychedelic pop songs, songs which rate amongst Kelly's finest work,
ever.
"I'm pleased with this record in many different ways. It grew out of nothing
into a sort of 50-minute exercise on guilt, especially Catholic, and desire.
It's more of an electric guitar record than I might have earlier envisioned and
perhaps a bit more up-tempo as well. It may surprise
some.”
Green
Pajamas
History
The Green Pajamas started as a collaboration between multi-instrumentalists Jeff
Kelly and Joe Ross. While a duo they recorded and released the full-length
cassette Summer Of Lust in the spring of 1984. Karl Willhelm was drafted
to play drums on Summer Of Lust and has faithfully sat on the throne ever
since. Soon they added a third songwriting guitar player, Steven Lawrence, and
the foursome started gigging around Seattle.
After Joe left to pursue a career in grunge, keyboardist Bruce Headt augmented
the lineup and the Green Pajamas recorded and released their first LP, Book
Of Hours in 1987. By 1988 Joe was back and Bruce was out (his choice), and
the band spent nearly two years to complete the album Ghosts Of Love.
When Ghosts finally appeared in stores in the fall of 1990, no one seemed
to notice, and the Green Pajamas seemingly called it a day. The core of Jeff,
Joe and Karl remained active in Jeff's Victorian inspired band The Goblin Market.
After demos, gigs and a half-finished album, they gave up and started recording
some Green Pajamas songs again, resulting in the "Song For
Christina" single. During this period it wasn't clear if they were a band
again or just doing a lot of reunions; but a new era was dawning and this time
the world would be watching.
In 1997 The Green Pajamas entered a period of unprecedented productivity. With
the addition of multi-instrumentalist and songsmith Eric Lichter the band released
their first album in seven years, the beautifully crafted Strung Behind The
Sun. It was followed two months later by Indian Winter, a collection
of previously released singles. By the end of 1998 they had released
an EP, Strung Out and the critically acclaimed full length All Clues
Lead To Meagan's Bed. With the 1999 release Seven Fathoms Down And
Falling, their fifth CD in less than three years, came the addition of guitarist
and longtime friend of the band, Laura Weller. In late 2001 Hidden Agenda/Parasol
will release a holiday collection EP, The Carolers’ Song.
REVIEWS
The latest phase of those psych-pop maestros the Green Pajamas has seen a veritable
flood of material in different formats and from different sources. These two
offerings emanate from Hidden Agenda.
"In A Glass Darkly," was initially planned by Jeff Kelly and Laura
Weller as a Goblin Market project but spread wider and involved the rest of the
band. It's a five track mini-album of songs based on the tales of J Sheridan
Le Fanu. Given the origins inevitably spooky and somber. A very fragile music,
employing effects from a fake medium's bag of tricks, and exposing those interstices
where this world touches others. The Leonard Cohen of "Songs Of Love And
Hate," is apparent on "Uncle Silas." Guest Emily McMullen's singing
on "Madam Crowl's Ghost," beckons like a phantom child. The harpsichord
on, "Camilla," leads a ghostly measure. The
tale of "Laura Silver Bell," is the least claustrophobic of this quintet
having elements of the folk ballad to it, both in its structure and in Lara Weller's
vocals. Not an easy listen, or at least not inviting, but worth
the persistence.
"Indiscretion," is Kelly's first solo release since the four CD box "Melancholy
Sun." A combination of themes are here present: fantastic literature again
(Ambrosio's Song is based on Matthew Lewis's "The
Monk," "The White Witch," on the Narnia tales), visual art and
artists (songs about Balthus and Tissot), and catholic guilt. This last informs
the title track and the three part, "The Ghosts of Holy Rosary." It
may be surprising then that it's a predominantly up-beat album, and rather more
immediate than, "In A Glass Darkly." - Nick West Bucketfull of
Brains
When you first give Indiscretion a spin, you pick up on its '70s influences:
a little early Roxy Music here, some Frippian guitar work there, a hint of Big
Star vocals and T. Rex beat or two. Whereas Jeff Kelly's regular band the Green
Pajamas uses psych pop as its touchstone, the multi-talented multi-instrumental
also reveals a love for glam rock here. But he has more on his mind than creating
an alternate soundtrack to Velvet Goldmine. Kelly's writing, frequently
inspired by art, literature and religion, is filled with feelings of guilt, obsession
amd desire. He establishes these themes on the opening tune (the title track),
a song in which he sings, "I guess the Catholic in me isn't all the out
yet." While it's all well and good to draw upon Catholicism, C.S. Lewis'
Narnia books or a Balthus painting for inspiration, what really counts is how
the tunes turn out. And this set of songs has turned out excellently. On second
(and third and fourth) listen, the disc really pulls you into its sway. Kelly
conjures up a dreamy but noisy rock sound swirling with buzzy guitars, washes
of keyboards and passionate,
soul-searching vocals. Standout songs "Indiscretion," "Somebody's
Daughter," "Cruel Velvet Sea," "Ambrosio's Song (She Looks
Like Mary)" and "The White Witch" - a good half of the album -
expertly balance influences and originality, creating a disc that sounds like
a lost '70s classic, but it's really just a terrific album
from any era. -Michael Berick / Amplifier / Vol 27
Former Green Pajamas creative force Jeff Kelly wears his heart on his sleeve
on
this well-crafted and soulful outpouring. Indiscretion is Kelly's first
solo album since the four-CD box set titled Melancholy Sun. It takes the
listener through the frenzied "Cruel Velvet Sea" to the calming serenity
of "His Soul to Take." Both have an acute level of intensity spanning
the spectrum of rock music, from grungy guitars to subtle strings. John Lennon's
vocal and lyrical influence persists throughout the album. The music, however,
has more of a Jimi Hendrix style with lead riffs sandwiched between lines of
vocals. The intensity does not drop during this entire album, encouraging the
listener to pick out the minor subtleties hidden behind the
emotion. -Teil Linn Wise / Rockpile / Vol 7, No 12 |
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