Jonathan Personne
Disparations
Michel Records/Citrus City
Montreal, QC
RIYL: The Dream Syndicate; The Long Ryders; Sergio Leone

Montreal’s Jonathan Personne brings a vivid, cinematic sound to his latest album. Best known as the guitarist of Sub Pop signed post-punk band Corridor, his solo recordings tie together strands of baroque psych-pop and chiming college rock with passionate vocals. The arrangements of these slyly hooky songs are fleshed out with moody mellotron, burbling bass, and 12-string arpeggios, which he lets breathe on extended instrumental passages. The rambling “Dernier Train” comes the closest to a sound he describes as “Spaghetti Western Rock.” Naming his lead single “Springsteen” at first feels like an unexpected reference, but Personne’s ambitions may one day promote him to the level of The Boss.

Jesse Locke