Jesse Clegg – Souvenir (2015)

Jesse Clegg. The singer who combined the style of One Republic, Muse and, even Gym Class Heroes. Is it not a dream sound?

Alternative South African rock artist Jesse Clegg, whose 2008 debut album When I Wake Up, and his 2011 follow-up Life on Mars have made him a platinum-selling success in his home country. However, Jesse’s music is that good that he caught the attention of three-time Grammy-winning producer David Bottril, who worked with Muse, Tool, and Placebo; hence, the beginning of his international career.

But to the reason you are here; to read a review of the song called ‘Souvenir.’

The music is very different throughout ‘Souvenir’. Unpredictable. It began with a lighter version of the chorus, then a drop; plus the song started completely differently. If I had to draw a sketch of the song it would probably be a line chart.

The music has movement as if you are on a roller-coaster. Slow, then a dark tunnel and you head down, suddenly, when you didn’t expect it – the turn and bright light like you are on a journey.

Sounds like a relationship, right?

The strongest lyrics for me are “gave you my life/ you just replaced it” – solid statement and in a way, words that may make the girl feel guilty responsibility for the relationship that did not work. Too much pressure. The feeling when you know your partner is not your half but, “all of these words, all of the places, all of these times you cannot erase it.”

I loved it. I listened to the chorus and thought, “that sounds like One Republic”; and then, Jesse’s voice. It reminded me of Matt Bellamy (Muse), it sounded as if it were going up a hill, with tension and then unexpectedly falls with the feeling of freedom and power, similar to Bellamy in ‘Supermassive Black Hole’).

For those who are familiar with Clegg’s previous songs, you can undoubtedly not just hear but feel the difference in his development as a musician. He sounds more confident and comfortable than in his older songs. It’s made a great change to his music, in this reviewer’s opinion, and a positive change as well.

‘Souvenir’ was released in 2015, to own it and see more of Jesse’s work check out his iTunes, SoundCloud and official website.