From jubilation to down in the dumps:
The trajectory of Zauner’s Japanese
Breakfast from the last album to this one.
For Melancholy Brunettes and Sad Women
spin for the first time on my turntable,
but I’m not despondent, not in the least,
in the way that it can feel good to be sad,
in the way that a good sad song lifts you up
for a brief moment into someone else’s dark.
It’s all good. I miss some of the bombast
and playful quirk of the last record,
but the vibe is warm, her voice a comfort.
Not a great singer, nor would she claim to be;
there’s kindness in that delivery, an intimacy.
michael jarmer 