Jonathan Davenport – Hey You, Jaybird (2021)
A light touch of doom with a rolling soundscape that leaves you emotionally spent but feeling a lot better. This is what you get from Jonathan Davenport and his single ‘Hey You, Jaybird’. While the single was written about his angst over the destruction of the natural world, since the pandemic hit, it has taken on a new meaning.
A former member of Buried Beds and Dirty Projectors, his solo work takes on a more progressive sound with a touch of indie-folk. Following on from the playful romp of his last single, he takes you through screaming guitars that build up your emotions. Continuing his look at the world around us, he throws you into a storm of emotions that breaks with the sun shining through.
The opening melody of ‘Hey You, Jaybird’ is all rich tones and mournful feelings. This enhances the messaging and overall vibe of the single. The folky feeling that wraps around the rock tones combine with the keys for this amazing depth. There is a satin feeling to the music that compliments the sinking plushness of the vibes. The guitars call out with their mournful tones while bringing a sense of reprimand with them. As they lightly scream into the soundscape, they drag your emotions with them.
The depths and richness of the melody slides delightfully against the luxurious flow of Davenport’s vocals. His voice has a light huskiness to it that brings an almost bluesy tone to the rock soundscape. His performance is packed with emotion that rolls around you while lightly tapping into a feeling of oncoming doom. This doom seems to be inevitable as it creeps through his performance, but there is something else resting under it that is just waiting to burst through. Whether this is something good or bad is to be seen but it creates a really raw and authentic feeling.
Jonathan Davenport thrusts you into a rolling soundscape of mournful tones and a touch of gloom in ‘Hey You, Jaybird’. With a creeping sense of inevitable demise, the rich soundscape captures you in its flows and his vocals swell with emotion. There is an enthralling spell woven into his performance that keeps you hooked from the first mournful note to the very last.
Find out more about Jonathan Davenport on his Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
