Every Thursday, Pop Addict presents infectious tunes from contemporary musicians across indie rock, pop, folk, electronica, and more.
Josh Ottum: “Fool in the Night”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/03-Fool-In-The-Night.mp3|titles=Josh Ottum: “Fool in the Night”]Just the second album from Seattle-based singer-songwriter Josh Ottum, Watch TV is a sonically diverse pop gem. Though it was recorded bit by bit from 2007 to 2010, Ottum was able to tie all of the loose ends together and deliver a cohesive, experimental indie-pop record, mixing cheese-ball hooks with interesting left turns and euphonic diversity.
Most of this experimentation comes from Ottum’s self-proclaimed love for GarageBand. Tweaking and toying with the program’s various loops and samples, Ottum was able to tailor and customize sounds to fit the aesthetic that was established a few years ago on his debut album, Like the Season.
There are elements of pared-down power pop from the likes of Matthew Sweet and Brendan Benson (see “Work on a Feeling” and “My First Love”) as well as softer, more intimate singer-songwriter moments (“Too Sure to See” and “Not Built For Two”). And though the gap in those two sensibilities might seem cosmic, Ottum fills the void nicely. Through his laid-back vocals and introspective yet not-too-serious lyrics, the Seattle troubadour has crafted something solid — something that takes its influences from all over, from decade to decade, and molds them into new forms.
The album’s real success, however, lies in Ottum’s seamless integration of classic pop instruments (guitar, bass, drums, etc.) and digital experimentation. By harboring these contrasts and exploring their terrain in each and every track on Watch TV, Ottum is able to cover a lot of ground and maintain a consistent focus.
For instance, “Green in the Sun” features tremolo guitars, lazy-day acoustics, and a falsetto chorus; “Secret Age” showcases jamboree pianos and outer-space synths; and “Sittin’ Over There” features futuristic electric guitars and keyboards held together by a strong backbone of bass and drums. A knack for pop hooks and melodies blend all of the different instruments into a unified sound. When the album finishes, you’ve forgotten the individual diversity within each song and are left with a complete satisfaction in having heard a highly focused and interesting record play so well. If Ottum keeps this up, there’s no reason that his sound can’t evolve into something even more expansive and impressive.