The Magnificent Defeat

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Prior to his untimely death, Jay Bennett recorded <i>The Magnificent Defeat</i> with ample help from fellow collaborator Edward Burch and multi-instrumentalist David Vandervelde. Sounding nearly nothing like his former band Wilco, “Slow Beautifully Seconds Faster” opens with a catchy melody vining up from the beautiful chaos of a sonic maelstrom, wherein vintage drum machines collide with detuned parlor pianos. It’s like Bennett put old Pavement and early Wilco demos into a blender with a heaping helping of his own innovative ideas before singing on top of everything with a weathered voice. He immediately changes gears in the bouncy “5th Grade” as Beach Boys-inspired harmonies glide over a barrage of kids’ toy instruments and a solid snare-heavy beat. He flirts with his alt-country roots on the lightly galloping “Wide Open” before inflecting like Elvis Costello on the more orchestrated “The Palace At 4AM.” Of the two bonus tracks, the rootsy “Junior” is the most accessible.

via Apple Music