Jack Garratt started as a musician in 2005, but it is his new and first album, Phase, just released last month, that has pushed him firmly into the public eye.
Working in both indie pop and electronica has helped show Garratt’s impressive mastery of multiple instruments, from the guitar, piano, and drums to the harmonica, mandolin, trombone, and ukulele. He has become immensely popular in a very short amount of time, and after releasing his album he was awarded The Critics Choice Award (given previously to singers like Adele).
I believe one of the main reasons this self-made artist has become so popular so rapidly is because he is 100 percent genuine with his work and his audience. Everything he produces shows his raw emotion.
Phase is spectacular especially for a first step, where artists are still usually still finding their footing and what they want to say to the world. Garratt already knows what he wants to say and exactly the best way to say it.
The album is incredibly versatile–it goes from smooth jazz to techno beats to droning bass notes and eerie banshee-like wails that somehow all fit together coherently.
His album starts softly with “Coalesce,” but then it speeds up and smoothly transitions into “Breathe Life,” which is more of an upbeat song. That follows with a similar style going later into my favorite song, “The Love You’re Given.” This song has a simple start but it feels that anything else would be too much. And then he takes a risk–either an artistic decision or a simple disaster–by starting “I Know All What I Do” with a low, droning bass. This also shows Garratt’s refreshing individuality with his unique musical choices that ties in the authentic feel of his songs. Going from a dark lit club song you can dance to like “Chemical” to the slow piano chords of “My House Is Your Home” takes a risk, but I believe a good one.
Finally, he finishes the deluxe edition with “Lonesome Valley,” which has an interesting beginning, and then a soft acoustic version of “Water” that proves Jack Garratt is not some new techno fad that will be here and gone. His music is new and refreshing and incredibly diverse. I highly, highly recommend listening to this album, and when you do you will be amazed by the variance between songs and yet the overlaying tone that ties them all together.
Go check out Jack Garratt’s new album, Phase, and experience something new!
Tuned In is a regular music column written by Michele Haeberlin, Current Staff.
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