Music
Press
a glittering collection of downbeat indie-pop jewels. "
- the georgia straight
"It's an elegant and atmopheric album of melancholy, rainy day pop, packed with emotion and beauty, and one that easily sucks you in.”
- opus zine
"This album is a solid step forward for the band and it leaves room for growth, which is a great plus as they continue to reach beyond Canada's snow covered plains. For now (and I trust forever), Jonathan Inc. gives you those musical moments that say, "Yes, you're sad, this hurts, but it's going to be okay." Honesty and emotions... the best things a band can offer." - tiny mix tapes
"melancholic melodies, each acoustic guitar note strummed with the heavy hand caused by the dislocation and isolation of heartbreak, giving way to lyrics sung as tenderly as the words of a dying man"
- now magazine - toronto
"Everything on this album just fits. Soothing waves of heartfelt lyrics wash up on the beach and tickle your teos. Melodies and harmonies float in from the darkness, guilded by moonbeams of pop sensibility. Pushing and pulling styles ever so slightly, this record presents a disctinctive voice that should be heard across oceans. In the age of sad introspective songs by boys too soft for rock and roll, Jonathan Inc. stands out from the crowd."
- broken pencil issue 25 (kieran dick)
"Smart, sincere, thoughtful soft pop with breezy melodies and intelligent lyrics. Begun as a solo project by Jonathan Anderson, Jonathan Inc. transformed into a band over time...incorporating Michelle Grunert, Jon Brotherton, and Glenn D'Cruze into the mix. Prior to the release of this album, the band released two prior full-length releases (Waiting For Morning, Transient) and an EP (Halfway to a Better Place). If the third time is the charm...then that certainly makes this a most charming album. Using traditional instruments, the folks in this band create classical soft pop in the traditional sense. Anderson's vocals are spectacular throughout. His delivery is smooth yet sincere...he comes across sounding personal and real. Refreshing tunes include "Reading Between the Lines of an Empty Page," "Lights Go Down," "One Year," and "Bitter Seed." Not a bad seed in the bunch. An outstanding collection. (Rating: 5+ out of a possible 6)
- babysue
'Things Done and Left Undone' is a very pretty record, one that takes its time to seduce the listener, to entice them in gradually with understated performances from back to front. On a bed of restrained percussion, languid basslines
and layers of, yes, shimmering guitars and keyboards, Anderson sings in a resigned, fireside-warm voice, like a chain-smoking Ron Sexsmith. Topping the radio play-list recommendations is Unbroken Silence - with its raised tempo, more urgent delivery and Michelle Grunert's doubling of Anderson's vocal it would sound right at home between Josh Rouse's Dressed Up Like Nebraska and pretty much anything by Crowded House.
On their previous mini-LP, 'Halfway to a Better Place', the band covered The Innocence Mission's Lakes of Canada with stunning results. On 'Things Done and Left Undone' Anderson and co. have penned a song which Mr and Mrs Peris would
doubtless welcome into their own set, the impassioned There Is No Sound."
- comes with a smile - LONDON
Things Left Done and Undone showcase the singer/guitarist's increasing affinity for soaring, intricately constructed melodies and shimmering production... Emotional but not sappy, refined but not slick, bittersweet but not saccharin, Things Done and Left Undone is an understated gem." - Vancouver Courier
"It is not just the dance music fraternity that have a gentler counterpoint to 180bpm Hard House Nights. Jonathan Inc
can lay claim to be a genuine & bona fide 'Chill Out Americana' act... Each copy of this record should come with a complementary bottle of red wine and a spliff." - Americana-Uk
this record is perfect for love hangovers" - exclaim (april 2004)
Discography
transient 1998
waiting for morning 2000
halfway to a better place 2002
things done and left undone 2007
Photos
Bio
// Things Done and Left Undone is the new full length album from Vancouver based Jonathan Inc. Out on Anniedale Records, the follow up to the critically acclaimed albums Waiting For Morning and Transient and last year’s Halfway To A Better Place EP, the album marks a significant evolution in songcraft. The melodies dig deeper and the album is both more densely layered and spacious than anything that precede it while still retaining the moody atmospheric pieces and glistening pop hinted at on Halfway To A Better Place.
// Things Done and Left Undone was recorded in fits and starts over the course of about 14 months in a few different locations and with more contributors than previous releases. The initial bed tracks were recorded over a week in the summer of 2002 with colin stewart (p:ano, destroyer, jerk with a bomb) and then it was taken back to buena vista to add layers of shimmering guitars, strings, buzzing synths, vibes, harmonies and keyboards. The tracks swelled, then reduced and then were finally sifted into their places through much tinkering and trial and error. Songs were sped up, slowed down, scrapped and re-recorded. The resulting album is the bands strongest and most refined release to date, simmering with euphoric beauty (Reading Between the Lines of an Empty Page, Bitter Seed) and shifting emotional undercurrents (Never Tell, There is no Sound).
// Counting among their fans some of canada’s finest new songwriters includ-ing John k. Sampson(weakterthans), Mike Feuerstack (snailhouse, Julie Doiron, The Wooden Stars), Christine Fellows, and Kevin Kane (The Grapes Of Wrath), Jonathan Inc. continue to gain momentum organically through slowly building word of mouth, powerfully dynamic live shows and increasing press and distribution. The past year has seen the band secure national as well as european distribution, play on canadian national radio (cbc) and solid reviews through the press and online music zines. The band has also shared the stage with Josh Rouse, Joseph Arthur, Richard Buckner, Victoria Williams, the Fembots, A Northern Chorus and Radiogram both in Vancouver and across Canada as well as touring Germany twice.
// Jonathan Inc. began in 1996 as a solo vehicle for Jonathan’s songs and has since distilled itself into a band. Twice nominated for Georgia Straight music awards, the busy multi-instrumentalist is also a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Radiogram and has toured extensively with them across Canada and The United Kingdom. Anderson has also become one of the Lower Mainland’s most prolific producers working out of his studio, Buena Vista Audio. Besides Jonathan Inc., Anderson has recently produced albums for Maplewood Lane, Stabilo, In Medias Res, Jack Harlan and Hinterland.
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