Hello. It's Album of the Week time again and today's featured release is Still Jimmie by Sackville, New Brunswick's Shotgun Jimmie! After years making pretty quirky indie-rock on his own or with the dearly departed Shotgun & Jaybird, the multi-talented Jimmie has got a killer band to work with here, and he's made a really unhinged rock 'n' roll record with Still Jimmie, which was released yesterday.
While you can still sense elements of lo-fi pioneers like Sebadoh, Pavement, and Eric's Trip in Jim's aesthetic, which mixes heart-on-its-sleeve lyricism with an equally open and sloppy musical bent, there's more of a manly, classic rock thing present on songs like "Mind Crumb" and the dark, Tonight's the Night jam-vibe of something like "Province to Province." Though her voice is somewhat blurry, there's no mistaking Simone Schmidt from $100 when she kicks off a kind of call-and-response routine with Jim on "Quicksand." As I discovered yesterday in the office, Shotgun Jimmie's slacker-rock tendencies are an acquired taste but those of you out there who like your music scrappy and full of straight, stark soul will find plenty to love about Still Jimmie.
Shotgun Jimmie is on the road in the U.S. with Attack in Black, trying desperately to get a last-minute show at SXSW. I'll try and track Jim down on the phone today to discuss his new album, his new record label You've Changed, and his tour, so please stay tuned.
UPDATE: Hear this chat with Shotgun Jimmie by pressing Play:
If it's not Shotgun Jimmie's record, old or new, what's your album of the week?
painting by Daniel Romano
