Jonny Pickett

The work of California-based songwriter and composer Jonny Pickett exists in a grey area between the neo-classical and folk genres, as latest release Time & Place attests. The record was formed during a period of constant change and travel, from America to Armenia, and an island monastery off the coast of Spain. Pickett himself also has links to Ireland, Spain and (soon) Nanjing, China and that such a diverse and disparate set of geographic and cultural influences helped shape the record feels pertinent, the songs unafraid to explore equally distinct sounds.

Opener ‘Aïre & Annemasse’ is firmly in the neo-classical bracket, its subtle emotion rising into insistent peaks and poignant lulls. This piano-based style feels like the backbone of Time & Place, the structure around which Jonny Pickett experiments and explores, circling back to the piano from his various travails in other fields. Follow-up ‘Woman of Gold’ is one such venture, something of an electronic dream pop song, channelling the likes of Aero Flynn and even Sufjan Stevens in its sincere, plainspoken delivery.

Forming something of a pattern, the piano-driven ‘Lluc’ returns to the purely classical sound, though one far more reflective than the previous example. The track unfurls slowly and with patience, becoming more playful for a short while before quietening into its rhythm once more. With old film footage of the American landscape, the accompanying video lends a nostalgic edge, the song becoming a plaintive ode to the simpler past we hold in memories, where all rough edges are softened by the camera’s focus.

Leaning further toward the folk end of the spectrum, ‘Adam’ utilises banjo and clarinet to produce a sound both earthy and warm, rich in history and bound to the land. The closing section of the track rises into a more poignant, classical-based style, from which closer ‘An Ending’ emerges, its sparse beginning coalescing into gentle piano rhythms. The two tracks serve as a neat summation of Pickett’s sound—organic and flowing, yet ambitious enough to channel this course in various and surprising directions.

Time & Place is out now and you can get it from the Jonny Pickett Bandcamp page. - Various Small Flames