John & Jehn: 'Oh My Love'
It says much about the shallow times in which we operate – or perhaps something about me best kept quiet – that a CD’s sleeve is as much likely to make me want to listen to the song wrapped inside as the title emblazoned upon it. It’s therefore fortunate that I was sent ‘Oh My Love’ by John & Jehn as a promo to review; I hope they pop a bit of colour on before circulating it to the wider world.
Ironic then that the very music I might well have haphazardly dismissed on account of its black and white face could well be described as colourful, for the three minutes forty-odd seconds of ‘Oh My Love’ are that; lo-fi Bauhaus-tinted rock n’ roll that could be taken right from the heart of the 60’s if it weren’t for the unmistakably-now synth backline.
It didn’t surprise me to learn that the origins of this now London-based duo lie in France, for the delivery of the lead vocal is downright sexy, ‘Oh My Love’ sung as if it’s deliverer was staring into the eyes of the subject and melting his heart. This sultry vocal delight takes up the first two minutes of the song, one I wouldn’t describe as lyrically fascinating but it doesn’t need to be – it’s a dark love song with simple words that rely instead on delivery to provide connotation, something a lot of artists fail to do so regularly, depending instead on literal transmissions and often ending up with something almost vulgar in its clarity. No, John & Jehn have mastered the art of intelligence of structure to the extent that others would do well to sit and take note, bringing the man with the melting heart to his knees when the pounding drum that supports the vocal pauses to brace us for the Doors-inspired psychedelic breakdown that draws the song to its close. Here the vocal comes back, yearning to repeat, to wail the words desperately before the clock stops ticking and track two takes over from the fade-out. It’s all cymbals and organs here too, a fantastical conclusion to a bitter-sweet anglo-francais gem.
Support, as if necessary, for the single comes in ‘Looking For You’, a song that nicely reminds you that John & Jehn are very now, despite their obvious interest in music ages gone by. Again the simple but effective drum is noticeable and the structure very much mirrors that of the first track and, again, the song features a love story delivered with passion and style by a small duo with some big ideas. This song lacks the fluidity and subtle musical annotations of its superior but it is worthy of a listen or two all the same, making the CD into a very well made six minutes of music from a band whose underlying quality will see them attract a crowd wherever they play.
With John & Jehn, music isn’t black and white – it’s radial.
8/10
Words: Benjamin Coley
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