Getting Wound Up with Wind-up Again: Jeremy Fisher's Goodbye Blue Monday

Like when Pilot Speed landed in my mailbox, another package from Wind-up Records was barely open when I found myself wound up and jumping around to the sound of something instantly catchy, rushing my adrenaline.

This time it was Jeremy Fisher’s Goodbye Blue Monday with its first track, “Scar That Never Heals,” being this combination of the Monkees (a.k.a. Neil Diamond’s disguise) in that “come on with me” invitation plus the harmonies of Simon & Garfunkel.

Of course, Fisher is a bit darker than the Monkees (although you could write a whole thesis about the underbelly exposed by the Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday”). Also, it is strange to keep hearing the very apparent comparison to Simon & Garfunkel when many of the harmonies seem to be Fisher himself (so that this is Fisher & Fisher). [However, producer Hawksley Workman is also credited with backing vocals].

“American Girls” is a blues jump acoustic spin on the Simon & Garfunkel sound while Fisher sings about never getting any attention from American girls. (He’s Canadian). It’s actually a clever song about the Abu Ghraib prison travesty. It’s a socio-political commentary on what it means to live in the northern shadow of the superpower of cockiness.

Fisher has the skate punk singer/songwriter attitude like Zack Hexum, Adam Richman, Andy Stochansky, and perhaps also Simple Kid and Jason Mraz. “Cigarette” is a great slacker metaphor as Fisher sings, “I’ll be your cigarette…/I’ll be hard to forget/Good or bad, I’m just your habit.”

Besides attitude, though, Fisher will come into his own as he develops his lyricism. “Lay Down (Ballad of Rigoberto Alpizar)” has a Bob Dylan sound which pushes Fisher onto step one of becoming stronger in his word skills.

“Sula” is a washboard blues with a little 50’s rock. It’s the bounce inherit in Fisher’s style that makes him extremely compelling right out of the gate. Some of that bounce comes from the support of Kelly Prescott, Kaylen Prescott, and Tracey Brown on gang vocals and handclaps. Kelly Prescott and Tracey Brown bounced around Canadian Pacific Railway’s Holiday Train last year (see review), and Fisher might be a fun addition to the boxcar for more bounce.

Back to track 1, “Scar That Never Heals,” to see one example of how Fisher hints at some deep spiritual themes. Fisher sings about a girl, but says, “Why doyou wanna save me?/Lord, my soul is taken.” Fisher is searching through questions surrounding where our true hopes and allegiances remain.

On the whole, on a deeper level, Goodbye Blue Monday is an album for soul searching even while you’re getting a bit punked by these Simon & Garfunkel sounds.

Thanks to Jeremy Fisher and Wind-up Records for the review CD. Jeremy Fisher appears on Aquarius Records in Canada.