Listen to this EP - Will Joseph Cook - You Jump I Run
Will Joseph Cook doesn't have a ton in the blogosphere about him yet, but he released an EP in April, You Jump I Run, that has a songwriter's simplicity that reminds me of Angus Stone while also having the pop and sonic sensibilities of another group I love, Minus the Bear. He looks like a young Cillian Murphy, so who knows what this guy has in store because he could either be the next guitar-wielding pop star (as "Streets of Paris" would indicate) with a real sense of musicianship, or he could go down the indie road of rejection and/or respectability (as "Daisy Chains" could indicate).
"Daisy Chains," probably my favorite track from his EP, builds upon itself through the first minute and then really starts going around the 1:15 mark. "Oh, you got it, you got it good," Cook proclaims on the first chorus as he reminds the listener there's something worthwhile here.
His other great track, "Message," is another track that starts in its shell, peeks out, reverts back and then grows into its own. The lyrics follow the rhythm as Cook confusedly wants to love when he knows it's not there. "I feel like following / following my heart again...The sweetest little things / I can't stomach the things my memory sings."
There's a pace to this EP that just feels natural. It's not rushed, and Cook sounds like he's getting used to himself. I look forward to see wherever he takes this.