super interesting, does really cool fun things, has some phenomenal songs, but also has a lot of misses, weird things that I just don’t think land.
EDIT1: I saw him live, and it was so so good. Honestly just incredible. I maintain that a lot of his weird stuff doesn’t work very well in a production setting, but in a performance it’s just really cool and awesome (no major change)
RELISTEN1: the first album I feel like is kinda the pinnacle of the things I don’t like about Jacob Collier. Nothing is bad, I can appreciate what he’s doing in theory, but it’s just… not super fun to listen to? It’s expansive to the point of losing focus, I feel. The second album keeps some of that same feeling, it still isn’t necessarily my jam, but I can get behind it. It might be mellow but it’s got a good mix of different flavors and it feels like it’s more focused, like there are fewer organizing principles, which I think is good. The third album is a lot stronger than I remember. The songs in it that I love, I do love, total bangers. The songs in it I don’t love, I thought I didn’t particularly like. But I was wrong, I do like them, they’re pretty good. Even when I don’t like them I respect them and how they fit in the album.
And then the fourth album, most recent album. This album coming out is really what made me want and need to do this relisten. I liked it pretty immediately, and I mostly just like it more every listen, and after giving myself some time to sit on it. It slaps, such an awesome album. It’s got banger songs, it’s got exquisite vibes. It’s got weird wacky Jacob Collier stuff but in a way that’s still fun and easy to enjoy, it’s got good wacky collabs and a big range of personality and I honestly feel like it just hits most of what it goes for. I do think the end of the album is weak, which is a bummer. It ends with a Bridge Over Troubled Water that I dislike (I am predisposed against covers anyway, and this one is so elaborate and overworked on what ought to be a pretty simple song, it’s kinda a mess), and then a couple more tracks that kinda just kill the energy for me. But on the whole of it this album rocks, those are a small enough part of the album and of my experience of the album that I can mostly just let them slide.
Honestly, the album feels like what I’ve always wanted Jacob Collier to be. He’s still weird, he’s still brilliant, he’s still exploring, he’s still doing things that are interesting and engaging for him as an artist, but he’s now finding ways to still make those a little bit more accessible, a little easier to just enjoy listening to. I feel like, when I listen to other Jacob Collier stuff, stuff I don’t like as much, this is what I wish it were. And now it exists! How wonderful.
My problems with Jacob Collier aren’t resolved, per se. I stand by those issues. I do think he gets lost in the weeds sometimes. I think sometimes he gets absorbed in what’s interesting to him and forgets or doesn’t care about the experience he’s creating for other people. That’s not bad, that’s his right and to some degree obligation as an artist and as a person. But also, I am judging by my experience, I have to be. My experience with Jacob Collier was recognition of greatness, recognition and feeling great works mingled among decisions that either didn’t make sense to me or just didn’t vibe with me. But I’ve always known that I want to like him. I’ve always known that if he can give me a reason, help me construct a narrative for him that makes me like him more, I’ll take that reason and I’ll construct that narrative.
And now I feel like he has. He’s painted this arc of somebody brilliant who’s learned over time to translate his brilliance into something that can be understood by those less brilliant. Maybe that’s not how he’d describe it; I think he’d probably (maybe has, in interview, I don’t remember) say he’s following his own natural inclinations as much as he always has. I think I’d still argue that he is following a progression, that he’s developing an experience and a feel, an ability to tap into other people more effectively, even if subconsciously. That’s not provable or even particularly arguable, but I think it’s a good story. It’s the story I choose. I’m not gonna bump Jacob Collier up to an A+, but I’m gonna shoot him up into the top of A. I feel less like he’s changed in my mind and more like my characterization of him has been clarified and cleaned. It’s less that I like him more, and more that it’s easier for me to like him as much as I already did. Which is a lot. Yay for Jacob Collier
tunafruitsandwitch 