Jimso Slim – 3 is the Number

Shane Joyce is Rochester’s one man indie rock wrecking crew. Joyce is a talented multi-instrumentalist and his project, Jimso Slim is a jewel in the Western New York music scene. Of his project, Joyce said:
“I record and play all of the parts. The only exception is a recent song called ‘Brother’s Dead’ where my friend Russell Brinkman recorded the bass.” He continued, “Everything is recorded out of my basement. I have a drum kit, a few guitars, a bass, a couple amps and a couple microphones. I’m certainly not an expert at recording or instrumentation, but I just do what I can and see what happens.”
His latest release 3 is the Number, is an EP composed of, you guessed it, three great indie tunes.
On the first track, “Rita Says,” Jimso Slim’s nasally Dylan-esque delivery grabs the listeners attention over a swooning instrumental. Backing chorus vocals add dimension and fill out the song appropriately. On this track, Joyce effortlessly fuses sunny jangle-pop, sleek psychedelic synth tones and a rustic 60’s folk aesthetic into an irresistible gumbo indie rock sound.
The following track, “Under the Oak,” is an acoustic number driven by a jolly guitar melody, playful shaker part and muffled bass drum. Slim’s deadpan drawls juxtapose the upbeat guitar in a happy-sad combination that ends up sounding calmingly neutral.
The song’s lyrics are a hopeless caper through life’s mediocrity. There’s a downtrodden working-man emptiness in the lines “Giving up when I wake up in the morn’ / As soon as I lift my head, I’m poor.” A killer krautrock-ian ascending synth line oozes a fresh texture into the track like sap out of a pine tree. One can imagine this song would sound even better with a hipster sweater and pair of Tractor Supply overalls on.
The final track, “Annie-O” is driven by a swirling, pastel-tone lead guitar melody. Joyce breaks out of his usual glazed-over vocals and gives a more melodic delivery that suits the tune. At its conclusion, the relaxed song fades like a light-breeze, ending the EP on a cheery note.
Check out this quality three-song project on Spotify or Apple Music as well as the other groups Joyce is a part of, Wired Landline, Thin Joe Greene, and The Midnight Sconce.
Categorised in: Album of the Week, Rochester
This post was written by Jordan Budd