Jimmy Tait

Lying faintly underneath the opening bars of Jimmy Tait’s debut album is the pop and crackle of an open fire. Although subtle, it sets the bounds for the content of the recordings, which are earnest and intimate. Jimmy Tait are five players from Melbourne, none of whom are called Jimmy, but all of them respected musicians including members of The Gin Club, The Wintership and The Orphanage. The band’s frontwoman Sara Retallick – a self-taught multi-instrumentalist – penned these songs and it’s her vocal delivery that makes this such a cohesive and intriguing listen. Her husky tones bring an intimacy to the album, drawing the listener into her tales of unrequited love, vengeance and recollections of the past.

Recorded and produced last year by Simon Grounds (Laura Jean, Kes Trio) the songs will be familiar to those who have watched the development of this band with curiosity since their inception in 2008. For others, it’s worth mentioning there are no verse-chorus-verse prototypes here. Each song has a meandering way of building, with space given to allow the mood to develop, sometimes unexpectedly. ‘The Pond’ begins sombre and fragile but grows into a haunting choral ensemble, with Retallick pleading, “You will be happy/When I’m gone.” The album’s single ‘Goodnight’ opens with a simple upbeat piano before exploding into a noisy pop song complete with a rambling, ascending guitar solo and fast snare rolls.

Jimmy Tait - The Pond by Mess+Noise

While demonstrating skilled musicianship, at times these slick arrangements seem to confuse and prolong what are simple ideas at their core. At points, it feels as if there’s a tension between the downbeat style of songwriting and the way the songs are presented. However, they mostly get the balance right.

The power of Retallick’s lyrics is highlighted in the closing track ‘Did You Love Anyone?’, which uses stylistic imagery to gently question mistakes of the past without bitterness or blame. The band is careful not to labour the point and the restraint pays off. What remains is honest and intuitive songwriting, which allows the listener to accompany Retallick and Jimmy Tait through these explorations of love and loss.

by Erica Dunn
- Mess + Noise

First off, Jimmy Tait is a girl. Her voice carries the song – a country tinged indie folk tune that hits its crescendo with a wicked climb of electric guitar. Her voice is rich, but simple: fuzzy towards its lower ranges and slightly exhausted. Lovely. - Beat Magazine

I thought Melbourne had enough emotional indie rock acts this year already. That was until I heard the gorgeous vocals and full enveloping sound of Melbourne outfit, Jimmy Tait.

Starting as a solo project in 2008, Jimmy Tait now brings together a multi-instrumentalist front-woman with a talent for beautiful songwriting, and some of the finest musicians in Melbourne. Their self-titled debut is a fantastic effort filled with emotion, experience and the occasional harmonica.

‘Goodnight’ sets up the album, beautiful and climactic; it’s a good display of the bands ability to affect the listeners through song composition and a healthy dose of sentiment. Drifting through the warm and quiet ‘Innocent’ and ‘The Pond’ which are bound to become Autumn favorites of many and hitting the middle of the album with the uplifting ‘Not for You’ which feels a bit like an interlude, pressing your reset button for the second half of the album.

‘A minor song’, as the name suggests, is a darker haunting song introducing some bluesy harmonica as yet another one of the many talents of the band. The ability to set emotion perfectly to a theme continues with ‘Small Town’, the song almost writes its own film clip and brings back the harmonica in a lighter tone. ‘Did You Love Anyone’ ends the album on a high, with a feeling of blissful warmth and anticipation.

Jimmy Tait is a brilliant debut from a staple in the Melbourne live music scene, showing off the musical talents of the highly capable members. Tight and full of gems, it’s the perfect cure for your summer hang-over.

- Casey Chatterton
- SYN FM

Lying faintly underneath the opening bars of Jimmy Tait’s debut album is the pop and crackle of an open fire. Although subtle, it sets the bounds for the content of the recordings, which are earnest and intimate. Jimmy Tait are five players from Melbourne, none of whom are called Jimmy, but all of them respected musicians including members of The Gin Club, The Wintership and The Orphanage. The band’s frontwoman Sara Retallick – a self-taught multi-instrumentalist – penned these songs and it’s her vocal delivery that makes this such a cohesive and intriguing listen. Her husky tones bring an intimacy to the album, drawing the listener into her tales of unrequited love, vengeance and recollections of the past.

Recorded and produced last year by Simon Grounds (Laura Jean, Kes Trio) the songs will be familiar to those who have watched the development of this band with curiosity since their inception in 2008. For others, it’s worth mentioning there are no verse-chorus-verse prototypes here. Each song has a meandering way of building, with space given to allow the mood to develop, sometimes unexpectedly. ‘The Pond’ begins sombre and fragile but grows into a haunting choral ensemble, with Retallick pleading, “You will be happy/When I’m gone.” The album’s single ‘Goodnight’ opens with a simple upbeat piano before exploding into a noisy pop song complete with a rambling, ascending guitar solo and fast snare rolls.

Jimmy Tait - The Pond by Mess+Noise

While demonstrating skilled musicianship, at times these slick arrangements seem to confuse and prolong what are simple ideas at their core. At points, it feels as if there’s a tension between the downbeat style of songwriting and the way the songs are presented. However, they mostly get the balance right.

The power of Retallick’s lyrics is highlighted in the closing track ‘Did You Love Anyone?’, which uses stylistic imagery to gently question mistakes of the past without bitterness or blame. The band is careful not to labour the point and the restraint pays off. What remains is honest and intuitive songwriting, which allows the listener to accompany Retallick and Jimmy Tait through these explorations of love and loss.

by Erica Dunn
- Mess + Noise