‘Muscle Memory’ Jamie Lenman Album Review

Edit: As part of an application to write for a website, I was asked to write a 500 word review about my favourite album. I enjoyed writing it, so I thought that I would share it on my blog too.

Jamie Lenman is an English musician and illustrator. He is best known for being the lead singer of alternative rock band Reuben, who split up in 2008. After focussing on his illustration work for a while, he has decided to release a two-part album, one part of the album features heavy metal songs, with the other part featuring more acoustic/folk style songs.

Opening track ‘The Six Fingered Hand’ instantly gives you an insight into how chaotic this side of the album will be: the heavy riffs and shouting vocals dominate the song from the first second. By instantly leading you into the madness, Jamie has been able to create an album which intrigues you from the word go.  ‘Fizzy Blood’ is a much shorter song, but with the extremely fast-past vibe and hectic drumming, it leaves listeners feeling almost exhausted, despite it only being the second song. It goes without saying that the energetic and chaotic vibe continues throughout the whole album, with ‘The Fuck Of It All’ being one of the most distinctive songs that he has ever created. The almost sludge-like rhythm contrasts well with the distorted guitars, allowing fans to hear something completely different from Jamie’s usual style. The angst-filled lyrics also work well with the overall sound, proving that a lot of work goes into creating music which matches the lyrics perfectly. ‘All The Things You Hate About Me, I Hate Them Too’ has a melodic opening, almost tricking listeners into thinking that it is the second part of the album, but then the heavy riffs and shouting begins again. 

Acoustic song ‘Shotgun House’ is the opening track to the second part of the album. The repetitive strumming is catchy rather than irritating, and allows listeners to fully focus on the lyrics. Jamie Lenman’s lyrics are so well-written that it feels like he is telling you a story with every song, which feels a lot more personal than the monotonous rock songs about sex and drugs that dominate the music industry.  ‘I Ain’t Your Boy’ is melodic and emotional, filled with beautiful harmonies that perfectly demonstrate how diverse Jamie’s vocal range is. Both his shouting and singing vocals sound flawless, proving how talented he really is. ‘If You Have To Ask You’ll Never Know’ has an almost country music style to it, emphasised by the fast-paced acoustic guitar and harmonies. Jamie’s wife sings the female vocals in this sound, and their voices merge seamlessly, creating one of the best songs on the album. ‘Pretty Please’ was the first single that Jamie released, and to this day it remains one of the catchiest songs that I have ever heard. 

Jamie Lenman is proof that there is still a lot of impressive song-writing and music originating in Britain. He had the courage to experiment much more than any other artists would ever dare to, creating an album with is both unique and enjoyable to listen to. ‘Muscle Memory’ is accessible to fans across all genres, and if you’re looking for something new to listen to then you should definitely give this album a try – you won’t regret it! 

Check out Jamie Lenman here: https://www.facebook.com/jamielenman
Read/listen to my interview with Jamie here: http://gigreviewsbyjulia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/jamie-lenman-interview.html