Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LXIX--Jesse Malin: Brooklyn

Truth be told, I know nothing by Jesse Malin other than this song.  I originally found it in the Appendix of Nick Hornby's fine dissertation on his favorite songs, Songbook--"Brooklyn" was merely a song on a list of newer tunes that Hornby had been enjoying.  I downloaded it on Kaaza and fell in love with it instantly.

Malin started in music at the ripe old age of 12 (seriously? who's in a real band at 12?) in 1980 leading a hard core punk band called Heart Attack, which auditioned at the famed club CBGB's only to not get a gig because it was feared the young members couldn't attract a drinking crowd.  Heart Attack is actually quite well known throughout New York City, notably for its youth as the band members raged in age from 12 to 16.  Malin would later go on to form the glam rock band D Generation in the 90's which was apparently quite well received critically, not that I'd ever heard of them before (and I don't live in NYC, either, so there).  Eventually Malin would go solo, with his first album produced by Ryan Adams (also the first album produced by Adams), and he's still performing today, some thirty-six years later.

Released on his solo debut record The Fine Art of Self Destruction  (and what a great LP title that is), "Brooklyn" had little or no commercial success outside of New York (if even there).  I'm not one hundred percent certain what the song is about--it's obviously a remembrance of things past, but whether the "you" in the song is a past love (most likely), best friend, or sibling really isn't made clear.  Malin's lyrics for the song are nothing if not subtle, so we're left with a lot of thoughtful images that evoke the loss he sings of.

The song starts with a nice acoustic guitar intro (soft but full), though the guitars eventually fade into the background and give way to a quiet piano that sets the mood and continues to the end.  The highlight of "Brooklyn" is by far and away Malin's vocals--it's a song about loss and his singing evinces the protagonists sadness throughout.  The simplest way to say it is that he just nails it.  The chorus is repeated often (emaycee fave!), though in an odd twist, the lyrics leading up to the chorus are short so it just seems like the story is starting before you're back in the middle of it.  But somehow it all works--I'd be hard pressed to name too many songs by unheard of artists with no commercial success (though there are a few) who recorded a song that would make my top 100 of all time, but "Brooklyn" would.  It's a gem.

Liner note:  "You used to like the sad songs of doom and gloom..."

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee