Daryl Johns - Daryl Johns (2024)

Daryl Johns was born too late to experience Wang Chung or Miami Vice in real time, but his self-titled album is an endearing dip into a joyful '80s vibe. Johns holds a funhouse mirror up to his second-hand nostalgia for the days of headband rock, legwarmer pop, and digital jazz. In the reflection stands a gently warped, genre-defying album bringing a wistful warmth to the high-tech sheen of Reagan-era radio fodder. Imagine all the aspirational sparkle of the decade with none of the baggage.

Johns began as a real-deal child prodigy. The son of professional jazz musicians, he was gigging on upright bass and earning praise from legends by age 12. Over the years, he's accompanied progressive jazz heavyweights (Vijay Iyer, Pat Metheny) and indie pop heroes (Mac DeMarco, Lemon Twigs) alike. Singing and playing almost everything on his solo debut for DeMarco's own label, Johns alternates between those two poles like the chief contender for the throne of Thundercat, or at least a member of his court.

On the lush, lambent "Corner Store" Johns comes off like a one-man Toto in a Molly-induced reverie. The galloping chirp of "Let Her Go" wouldn't sound anomalous as the audio backdrop for some Super Mario action. And boasting more hooks than a meat locker, "I'm So Serious" is the greatest National Lampoon's Vacation soundtrack outtake there never was.

On the jazzy end of the spectrum, Johns is more about melody than flash—when he traffics in fusion, he's closer to tuneful Pat Metheny Group territory than the finger-busting workouts of Chick Corea's Elektric Band. On brightly twinkling instrumentals like "Happy" and "Crash" he injects danceable grooves and earworms aplenty. But when nobody's looking, Johns slips in enough tricky rhythms and harmonic sleight of hand to make a Steely Dan fan weepy.

Whatever style he lands on, Johns finds plenty of room for his prankster sense of humor, whether he's cheekily titling a sweet, sunny instrumental "Golden Showers" or leaning into absurdism with his lyrics. Most of the time, the soft-focus vocals obscure the lyrical content, suggesting that Johns may view the voice more as another instrument than a content delivery system. Even a tune as musically accessible as the aforementioned "Corner Store" bears Guided by Voices-worthy lines like "there's a boy named Worms, who never ever knew his name."

Johns spends a good chunk of his time gleefully trampling on the expectations for whatever style he happens to be exploring and in the process, he reboots every element into something fresh. E even when he's channeling the echoes of a bygone time, the result still feels like a perfect fit for the present moment. © Jim Allen

Tracklist:
1-1. Daryl Johns - Corner Store (04:23)
1-2. Daryl Johns - Happy (02:20)
1-3. Daryl Johns - I'm So Serious (03:42)
1-4. Daryl Johns - Crash (03:14)
1-5. Daryl Johns - Barbecue in the Sun (03:08)
1-6. Daryl Johns - Let Her Go (02:22)
1-7. Daryl Johns - Golden Showers (04:53)
1-8. Chris Fishman, Daryl Johns - The Deputy of East Carlock (02:09)
1-9. Daryl Johns - Just Friends (04:53)
1-10. Daryl Johns - Casper (01:26)
1-11. Daryl Johns - Palermo (04:03)
1-12. Daryl Johns - Whoops (03:39)
1-13. Daryl Johns - Friends Forever (02:41)
1-14. Daryl Johns - Maggie and Me (03:30)