It's now time for our 170th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at ex-
Inner City Surfers/
Rising Tide frontman
Dustin Jones' online page-less solo project Jonesy Land's debut album
"Zoom-Out"! Released through his own label
Tidal Records to major streaming services on May 31st (my birthday!), this album is the long-held realization of Dustin's to release a "singer-songwriter" album inspired by his life so far. Dustin is the only official member of Jonesy Land, but co-producer/Lake Effect alum
Frank Deresti (who played in Jonesy Land's live dates in mid-2021) guests on much of the album, which was recorded locally at
Mission Control Studios and mixed by Kyle Whittaker at
Strange Pumpkin Studios in St. Catharines. Guests on "Zoom-Out" include singer
Shannon Moan on "Keep Trying" and Dustin's Bookclub bandmates Allan Watson (drums) on two songs and Erin Antonello (trumpet) on
"Superior's Sons".
Among the array of links on Linktree, you can hear "Zoom-Out" on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Amazon, but if you want to actually buy mp3s of it, Amazon and iTunes have you covered, with Amazon's price running for $9.49. No word yet on a possible physical release of "Zoom-Out", but consider buying the mp3 copy to really support Dustin's work! Song names below are linked to their Spotify copies. With eight songs running for about 24 minutes, let's begin this album review!
We open with the first single
"Old Man", which is not a Neil Young cover, rather seeming to reflect on Dustin's relationship with his father and how life has led at an ultimate crossroads. Musically, this hints at the path that Dustin takes on this album, largely shelving punk for a folksier, more introspective sound, though Dustin's vocal tone still provides a punk flavour. This song is definitely well written lyrically, but the repetitive guitar strumming, "oh-oh-oh" vocals, and drawn out ending didn't gel for me as much as the verses did. Not a bad song, but this wouldn't have been my first pick for
a music video of the eight songs here. Second is
"Shine On", where Dustin reflects on some regrettable moments of his youth, and hopes that his daughter (and his shining star) will be stronger than he was at that age. I take it that the spacey sound effects in the background are supposed to play into the "shining star" references.
As a pure composition, this song is better than "Old Man" for variance and energy, and Dustin uses his vocals to better effect with more of a passioned delivery, but some of the chorus vocal layering feels slightly delayed. The spacey background noise seemed superfluous to me at first, but it kinda grew on me after a while, so the album is trending upward early! Third up is "Father Time", where Dustin reflects on life and his travels, and how he has to hold the memories close as Father Time isn't slowing down for him. The fullest sounding song yet for instrumentation, this is basically a country song, just with Dustin singing it. For my own musical preferences, which don't really lean to country, it's not for me, but I will praise the song for having the best written lyrics on offer yet, and the clear intent to make this sound like more of a band is very much noted!
The first half of "Zoom-Out" arrives with
"Superior's Sons", which is the closest thing yet to a Bookclub original song based on the inclusions of both Erin and Allan as guests (note that press releases didn't say that there was a drummer guesting on this particular track). Lyrically, it's about how Dustin and his friends have stuck together in Northern Ontario through thick and thin for all these years. I was getting a bit of a Tragically Hip vibe here on the verses (not so much the choruses), and it's an effective song that adds a bit more of a rock influence, which is welcomed! The stop-start choruses didn't really fit the flow of this song, and while Erin's trumpet work being more atmospheric helps her fit into the track, I'd have boosted her volume a tad. So far, I do like the even numbered songs more than the odd numbered ones, so make of that what you will! Jonesy Land's fifth song on offer here is
"Ode To The Boys", which Allan returns to the drumkit on.
This is basically about Dustin looking back on the good, if often wild, times that he had with his old local punk bands in the 1990s and 2000s. The lyrics alone will intrigue Surfers fans, but this is very much a folk rock song that calls to mind Great Big Sea more than Green Day, if that makes sense. Again, the layering of the vocals in the chorus doesn't work as cleanly for me as I'd like, but the direct and honest look at a more carefree time is well handled, and this would work well as a drinking song of sorts in concert! Next is "Lonely Boy", which is thankfully not a Black Keys cover. This is basically the sequel to "Old Man", with Dustin reflecting on the apparent death of his father and how he wished he was still here for guidance.
The longest song on the album, we revert to a stripped down, percussion-free presentation here. Having lost my mother three years ago, I can relate to a lot of what Dustin's singing here, and while the music on offer is a little reserved and folksy compared to my wheelhouse, you have to admire the personal messages and emotion being expressed. Not for me as music, but as a lonely son myself, I thank him for writing this! The penultimate song is
"Keep Trying", which appears to be a reflection of Dustin's relationship with his wife (with Shannon Moan standing in for her on vocals), and how they'll keep trying to make things work if the other equals the effort. The contrast in singing styles here is interesting, and I'm not sure that the "pop right back up" verse required that aggressive tone, but if you liked the folksy ambiance of "Lonely Boy" and thought that a female vocalist would add to it, you'll like this!
"Zoom-Out" ends with its shortest song, "Summer's End" (extra fitting as we're nearing the end of August). This feels like a coda to "Lonely Boy", in the sense that he'll always cherish the (metaphorical?) summer, but he can let a loved one go now, and it's time to move on. Oddly, this is solely presented as an acapella multi-tracked vocal performance with only some backing harmonics to send things out with. I'm not sure how intentional this was, the recording quality feels lower for this song, like they were trying to replicate an old 78 rpm record. Not how I'd have ended the album, but A for effort! Honestly, "Shine On" feels like something more suited for track #8.
So, what are my final thoughts on Jonesy Land's debut album? While hardly a punk album aside from lyrical references and Dustin's vocal style, it's an effective collection of songs that showcases his range and growth as a musician! Remember, we're 20+ years removed from The Inner City Surfers' debut album, I'd
hope things hadn't stagnated musically or professionally! Dustin was always one to include folk influences on his past band work, and those come to the forefront here with care and professionalism, and while his vocals may not always suit a pure acoustic folk record, the messages and intent always came off as genuine and honest. He and Frank did a good job here, but for my preferences in music, I did think that the album peaked on the two songs with drums, Yes, the intent was a singer/songwriter album, but diehard fans who still want those unreleased 2019 Surfers songs or the unfinished final Tide album may be left wanting more.
I can appreciate the album lyrically full stop, but a few too many choruses didn't have vocals layered in a way that I'd consider optimal, and I didn't quite get the first and last songs on offer. Most other nitpicks are just based on my musical preferences, but I do think that Dustin should have included the three Jonesy Land standalone singles from 2021 & 2022 (
"Sunshine Parades",
"Moral Blackout", and
"Ain't Dead Yet") on the final product. Perhaps they were omitted because two of them were full on punk songs and that's not the style that he wanted for the album, but it's a short album and they'd have been welcome filler, even as just bonus tracks. Still, as a window into the man that Dustin Jones was, and has became, "Zoom-Out" is an effective and well made album with a lot of honest reflections, and while I do prefer his full punk work, I do recommend that fans of his solo career check out the album or buy it on your preferred streaming services!
I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Our next monthly review will be on local/Barrie crossover thrash quintet Spades GT's new album "Sewer City Radio" from June of this year, so look for that next month, and for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!
