Jonathon Zemek – Death of Me

Jonathon Zemek – Death of Me

KKBOX: https://www.kkbox.com/sg/en/album/EYXjkcYJ-Jin.0F2KhsL009H-index.html

The latest single release from Austin, Texas based Jonathon Zemek’s album Hillcrest, “Death of Me”, will go a long way towards building the buzz for Zemek’s forthcoming release. Producer Matt Smith’s vocal turn is a big reason why, but there’s a growing feeling from the first two singles for this release that Zemek’s conceptually driven work may likely rank among the most substantive and fully realized releases landing in recent years. It’s difficult to mistake it as little else based on the available evidence – “Death of Me” isn’t light, airy fare, but it definitely reaches high lyrically, vocally, and musically and hits the mark throughout. Hillcrest is designed to be a multimedia experience the accompanying comic coming with its release is likewise reflected in the virtually widescreen arrangement powering the song. Zemek and producer Matt Smith are definitely a potent team working on the same musical page.

The track improbably opens with a swell of sitar before shimmering acoustic guitar joins in. The sitar soon fades and the melodic acoustic carries us into the song with a light, carefully measured percussion track underlying it all. The sitar returns, bursting out of the mix, and the songwriting and vocal alike expand the song’s possibilities with a beguiling chorus. The multiple vocal tracks running through the chorus reach for ethereal heights and benefit from sheets of distorted guitar counterpointing their delicacy. The song reaches a zenith, of sorts, with the bridge and Zemek concludes this crucial section with some especially emphatic guitar riffing.

Running a hair over five minutes, “Death of Me” seems to promise a lengthy listening experience, but Zemek and Smith never rushing things has no effect on what ultimately feels like a much shorter song than it is. Earlier portions of this review referred, indirectly, to the song’s construction when discussing its cinematic qualities and there’s no question that Zemek’s transitions are well timed and flawlessly handled by the players. :”Death of Me” has the lyrics to make an impact, but it’s the context Zemek and his collaborators place them in that makes all the difference in the end.

Make no mistake, however, that Zemek’s not a top shelf writer. The deceptively bold choice to build Hillcrest around the concept of a coming of age story set in the 1950’s is really quite audacious for a time far removed from a period that seems positively genteel in retrospect. You forget all about the album’s “setting” once you hear a song like this. “Death of Me” transcends the intervening years and presents listeners with a distinctly human tale, tackling eternally relevant themes and emotions, and making a solid connection with audiences of every stripe. Listeners won’t be able to gauge how well the song works with the remainder of the album and where it fits in yet, but “Death of Me” is an outstanding standalone track that will undoubtedly shine even brighter when considered as part of a larger whole. Jonathon Zemek’s latest single is nothing less than entertaining and affecting musical art.

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Mindy McCall