Upon seeing the name Jake Lennon one may be expecting something grand and prodigious alike the songs concocted masterfully by the legendary John Lennon, or they may even think the last name is merely being put to use as a means to catch people’s eyes and get them listening– either way, it sure as hell intrigued me. Lennon’s music is different, yet familiar.
Both approachable and distant, Jake Lennon embraces darkness on his latest album The Possessed. His stark poetry questions life, philosophy and the mind.
It takes stripped back acoustic folk to the extreme, and uses poetic lyricism to create a dark aura. It’s comforting yet disheartening. It’s like going home to the place you grew up to see your parents have started a new family, one that doesn’t include you. It’s deep, strange, and inquisitive and has given the Lennon name a whole new meaning.
Inspired by a Dostoevsky novel of the same title, Lennon’s latest live release The Possessed was released on May 3 and has been described as “A critique of the privileged, enlightened and nihilistic thought that dominates the philosophy of our days”. Lennon is mysterious and with what appears to be no social media* and only a Bandcamp account to go by, it’s left up to the listener to create an image in their mind; to form Lennon and his story from the songs he creates, possibly lives and retells.
Featuring 12 tracks, each takes you to a different place, and most always make you question life, philosophy and even the thoughts that flow through the mind. Lennon’s vocals however are at times rather disconcerting, similar to those heard on Broadway; his voice is big and robust, and although it helps build the intensity of each song, they make listening to the record in one sitting rather uneasy.
Standout track Left Behind runs for two minutes and 27 seconds, and contains the smoothest vocal execution on the record. Amongst light, and consistent acoustic strumming Lennon is fully exposed, and through the means of religious and philosophical poetry exudes a wave of evocative lyrics and melancholy emotions; “Heaven is what you leave behind, son your heavens hell…”
Jake Lennon is a bewitching artist, and a whimsical poet who gives off compelling, and perplexing vibes, and although the man is a mystery The Possessed stands out as one of the most well composed, and written of this year’s releases. What’s next for this enigmatic being only he knows, but one could only hope his future releases continue to provide us with some heart wrenching lyricism.
*Ed. A quick Google search reveals Lennon’s other social media, check it out below!
