Goodbye Blue Monday

Album Review

Jeremy Fisher ignited a massive amount of interest with his homemade YouTube video for "Cigarette," a folksy, laid-back, self-deprecating number whose singalong chorus, "I'll be your cigarette/Good or bad, I'm just your habit," resonated with anyone ever caught in a less than reciprocal relationship. But as he repeatedly reiterates on Goodbye Blue Monday, his taste in women is less than stellar. From the gun-running girl of his dreams on "Scar That Never Heals" to the "American Girls" who are decidedly not Tom Petty's types, Fisher has a bit of a masochistic streak, forever running after women best not caught. However, even if Fisher doesn't share Petty's taste in women, he certainly shares a similar musical style. Echoes of Simon & Garfunkel and Bob Dylan can be heard within as well, particularly on "Jolene" and the title track, although the latter also calls to mind the Cars' "Best Friend's Girl." Even so, better comparisons would focus on Fisher's Everly Brothers-like ear for a memorable hook and his Buddy Holly-esque enthusiasm for infectious choruses. The latter is arguably Fisher's most effective weapon across this set, particularly on the clap-along country blues of "Sula," the bouncy "Scar," the rocking "American Girls," and (of course) "Cigarette." Lyrically, Dylan again raises his head, most notably on "Lay Down (Ballad of Rigoberto Alpizar)," a "Hurricane Carter"-ish political number turned thematically inside out. But even if Fisher's storytelling ways are familiar, his pen is very much his own. From a wry look back at "High School" to the questioning and dissection of common clichés in "Fall for Anything," Fisher confronts the world with wit and an eagle eye for telling details. Twinned with superb acoustic guitar, stellar drumming, sensational melodies, and grand hooks, Fisher should be waving goodbye to his blues for good. [Aquarius' 2006 Canadian edition omitted the song "High School" in favor of "Remind Me."]