Fuck.
This was my exact thought after hearing this album for the first time from start to finish, and to be honest still is after about 30 or so listens in this week so far. Voyce is the debut album by Joyce, fronted by Mr Jimmy Watkins (Vega Bodegas, Future of the Left and captain of legendary podcast ‘Megabus to the Ritz’) of which various notes and noises from his brain have assembled like the T1000 terminator putting itself back together to form this very album. Soon to be released by one of the very best record labels out there, Human Worth and featuring members of (checks press release) The Cure, Big Special, God Damn, Fauxchisels and Adwaith.
Opener ’Contact’ is a live recording from a meditation session that Jimmy attended at a Krishna Centre the day before writing the album. A minute long introduction to the mind of a beautiful lunatic who’s about to unleash his soul up on us all whilst holding your hand with reassurance that this is going to be a good trip.
Current single and title track ‘Voyce’ takes that hand and immediately drags you through layers of riffs and beats dripping in synth noises that should come with a health warning. But boy does it feel good, and this feeling doesn’t waiver through thirteen tracks consisting of so many genres you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a Mr Bungle “best of” album in places. Balancing between organic rock and cyberpunk synths, with a sprinkle of vocals from DIY legend Paul Broome (Fauxchisels) sprinkled over the middle eight for good measure.
‘Deja Vu’ sounds like it’s been written for the intro sequence to a travel show set in outer space featuring a hologram of Anthony Bourdain, living rent free as a permanent ear worm since it’s single release in February this year.
There’s a perfect blend of indie guitars and upbeat melodies on ‘Mr Blue Sky’ which feels like a hug between the ears, suddenly followed by the shoegaze vibes of ‘My Luna; and alongside some of the spoken word, punk rock vibes and dirty electronic noise rock it fits. Don’t ask how, just know that it does.
‘Foreword by Michael Sheen ‘(heard by and approved by the welsh actor himself) is spoken word cushioned with drooling guitars and echoes of future pasts. “We are all about to experience mind control, we are all about to fall in love” Jimmy tells us as he pours the Kool Aid……..
‘Hum Hotline’ is a road trip passing through intersections of genres and whizzing by motels holding secrets you’d probably be best leaving alone. A six minute opus that starts of like the missing link between The Knife and UNKLE (featuring Gwen from Adwaith And Joe from Big Special) and a mid to end riff that repeats itself until it’s truly fucking buried into your memory and would fit right into place on an And You Will Know Us By The Trail of the Dead album. The juxtaposition of Gwen’s soothing vocals and Jimmy’s feral screams add to making this the best track on the album in my most humble opinion.
Voyce does a great job of dragging you through almost every emotion you can muster with a shit eating grin on your face along the way, and closing track ’Complete’ will give you the widest grin of all as a minute long outdo featuring Jimmy’s son Tommy thanking us for listening to the album in a ridiculously cute manner. And maybe I’m totally wrong here, but I get the impression that this was written and recorded when the other tracks were finished to bookmark the album with the first track that was done before writing began.
This album would be the soundtrack of the cartoon episode where Wile E Coyote actually captures and eats Roadrunner in an apocalyptic future after years of almost getting there. Reaching the point that many artists aspire to be at with fulfilment that sits perfectly between zen and bewildered excitement. It’s been entertaining to witness everything up to this point, and now we get to reap the rewards as well as the man himself
I guess what I’m trying to say is that every musical project Jimmy has been involved in has been great, but this feels like something else. Like he’s finally captured what that beautiful mind of his has probably wanted to do for some time. If dictionaries had sounds instead of descriptions of words, then this would be right next to bliss; the bliss of a man who may have reached the apex of his musical journey. Or has he? To celebrate the release of this creation, Jimmy will be running and gigging across America for a documentary about his life because that’s just another day in his batshit crazy office he probably calls normal these days.
Voyce is pure, unbridled fucking joy(ce) and the result of a man who seems to be in a place where he wants to be in life, and we all get to reap the rewards of his brain within the vast areas of this sonic landscape. Strap yourselves in comrades, we’re going on a trip where the only things you’ll need are an open mind and a finger to keep hitting that replay button. The rest is irrelevant right now.
