Jonathan Richman – ‘Only Frozen Sky Anyway’ album review: one of his very best

THE SKINNY: Four years on from his last solo record, Jonathan Richman has returned with his 18th studio album, Only Frozen Sky Anyway. It feels like a defining moment for the 74-year-old musician. Not only does it see him nod to the past, hooking back up with his former Modern Lovers bandmate Jerry Harrison (of Talking Heads), who produces the album, but it looks forward to the moment that he returns to the sky.

The deeply spiritual record journeys through his entire career and what lies beyond. There are songs about the need to “try weird stuff”, there are songs about death and sexy bats, there are flourishes of classical guitar, there is Moe Tucker-like percussion, and there’s a whole lot of Jonathan Richman at his unabated best. With grace, charm and charismatic quirks, as ever, he proves to be nothing other than himself, expressive to an nth, and gifted with the knack for crafting melody.

Offering up a simple joy with gorgeous melodies built around complex guitar strumming, he urges his audience to embrace life, to bask in night fever, and observe beauty. However, his transcendentalism always maintains a certain down-to-earth wink that grounds it, and stops it from becoming grating if you’re stuck in a traffic jam contemplating your overdraft. Instead, it simply urges you to appreciate the little things – little things like an unexpected new Jonathan Richman record.

The naturalistic feel ties in perfectly with the backstory. He recorded the album in five short days, entering the studio with largely skeletal songs, and even coming up with some on the spot. However, as a master of his craft, it’s the magic of the spontaneity that comes across rather than anything that feels too ragged or rushed. Each song is infused with the joy of creation, and that makes it a boon that feels as refreshing as rain to a desert in the hectic modern age.

For fans of: Going for a dance down the lesbian bar, but slightly more mellow and wistful than in your youth.

A concluding comment from a sexy bat: “Hey, ease off, Richman. You’re coming on too strong.”

Only Frozen Sky Anyway track by track:

Release Date: July 16th | Producer: Jerry Harrison | Label: Blue Arrow

‘I Was Just a Piece of Frozen Sky Anyway’: A spiritual memento mori of sorts that sees Richman face down his “transition” with the grace, propulsive percussion, and a fluttering flute. [4/5]

‘But We May Try Weird Stuff’: A comical advocacy for trying weird stuff with perhaps one of the greatest interactions between a frontman and backing singers of all time. [5/5]

‘Night Fever’: Richman reprises the Bee Gees as he journeys through a sunny evening in what may or may not be bustling Barcelona or swaggering Seville. It’s almost a companion to ‘Summer Feeling’. [4.5/5]

‘You Need Me Too’: A fuller track that features a fluttering array of instrumentation as Richman contacts the angels. The result is a sort of pan-religious form of acoustic, Latin, Gospel music. [4/5]

‘The Dog Star’: While it feels like it was borne from an argument with his better half, it results in Richman delivering a touching ode to his “dog star”. His knack for catchiness comes across in about five different ways. [5/5]

‘Se Va Pa’volver’: A Spanish-inflected track that showcases his guitar skills as well as his multilingual command. It’s a rhythmic tango that effortlessly paints scenes upon the imagination. [4.5/5]

‘That Older Girl’: A comical, cautionary tale about a young lad with the hots for a marginally more mature lady. It’s full of quirks, passion, and evocative poetry, but a few signs of not quite being honed and tidied up in the most careful fashion. [3/5]

‘Little Black Bat’: The best song about a bat ever written. Genuinely intoxicating, strangely composed, effortlessly earworming, and unique in all the world. A rare masterpiece. [5/5]

‘O Guitar’: Richman’s music makes the world make sense, and here he spells out how it does just the same for him. It’s a familiar melody, but the motif is utterly charming. [4/5]

‘David & Goliath’: It’s rare that ‘David & Goliath’ is used quite as literally as this. There are genuine laugh-out-loud moments as he jazzes up folk music as its most traditional. One for the underdogs. [4.5/5]

‘The Wavelet’: An ambient sustained note creates a hush as Richman gets wistful and transcendental once again. A meditative peace is created from an otherwise interchanging melody, in a way, cleverly mimicking the ocean. [4/5]

‘I Am The Sky’: The same sense of ambience sustains as Richman returns to the opener’s motif in a fittingly wholesome, somewhat ragged, subtly deep afterthought. [4/5]