Jam City flourishes a breathtaking pop sound with his not-so-difficult 2nd LP, 'Dream A Garden'. Phase-shifting from the sleek contours of his seminal 'Classical Curves' to a much grittier, slower and bittersweet style laced with his own vocals, he discerns a gap in contemporary electronic/pop music, and proceeds to boldly prise it open, casting coy glances at Prefab Sprout, Prince and Talk Talk from the midst of his finely-layered, swirling arrangements. It's the antithesis to the Club Constructions - themselves influenced by his own reductionist style - stitching a dis-affected heart to his sleeve and trying to deal with it in the open, holding himself up as a beacon for kids and adults who've almost forgotten that pop can be powerful, affective - not just the banjo-strung soundtrack to commerce or an extended gap year for the spawn of the wealthy. It's proper blue-eyed soul in the same way that Prefab Sprout were, and which lead to their acceptance in American '80s soul playlists, and, similar to Bullion's recent strikes with Nautic and Laura Groves, refreshes a timeless song-writing quality with a taste for atmospheric romance and the right measure of sensitivity that's in short supply right now.
