I guess this column is forever going to be hit or miss. However, my inability to consistently release a feature on local music is not going to detract from bands I write about. It just makes me look bad. This week, we are going to take a look at Minneapolis singer-songwriter Jack Pfeffer's album Blue Love. This album is probably the most mainstream record that this column has featured. Normally, we look at punk releases, or whatever Drag City has put out in the last 20 years. If we include the Twin Lakes EP from the last edition of In Pursuit Of Something Interesting, I may have sold out. Which is fine. I'll sell out if it means covering albums like Blue Love.
Since 2015, Jack Pfeffer has been releasing laid pack indie rock and indie pop similar to the style of indie icon Mac Demarco. This release is no different. While it is easy to see Demarco's influences on this record, the songwriting and song composition of Blue Love differentiate it from being a knockoff. The first half of this record features lead guitar melodies that help propel the warbly lo-fi tracks forward.
This album finds its sweet spot on tracks like "Me and My Friends," "You and Me," and "Flowers." The laid-back, easy listening aesthetic doesn't overshadow the details of these songs. "Me and My Friends" is exactly what you would think it would be. It's an ode to hanging out with the people you are closest to. This track features one of the clearest and most concisely produced vocal performances on Blue Love. Pfeffer's vocals are often left to fight it out with the other instruments for attention. "Flowers" is probably the most ambitiously produced track on the record. This song has a number of headphone tricks put into it. Pfeffer produced parts of the track to pan between the left and right channels to give it a wider stereo effect and a psychedelic tinge. The outro on this song is where this effect really shines. Drum fills sweep from left to right and then from right to left giving the listener a woozy feeling.
The one downside to this album: Pfeffer's vocal performances. There really isn't a lot of diversity in his vocal melodies and vocal takes. While it works for most songs on Blue Love, it tends to make the album drag or feel flat at times. The fact that Pfeffer seems to be trying to make a laid-back record is what probably led to the vocal performances. However, this doesn't make the vocal performances on Blue Love bad. I just wish it varied a little bit more.
Overall, I would recommend you get this record. It is the perfect late night or lazy summer day soundtrack.
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