Review Summary: a series of thoughtful and understated moments
Jordan Klassen's warm, quiet vocal delivery is his best asset. The Vancouver songwriter's melodies invite comparison to Sufjan Steven's
Carrie and Lowell, but his delivery is denser and his tone has a thicker, more syrupy quality. Similarly,
Tell Me What to Do's instrumental trappings recall recent works by his fellow Canadian Andy Shauf, but while Klassen's voice may be surrounded by the same clarinets and muted, speak-easy drumming, his delivery is markedly less small-town and Kermit-y. There are moments on
Tell Me What to Do that survive entirely by Klassen's perfect vocal: instantly familiar, but friendlier than his contemporaries. If Sufjan gets by with paper-thin whispers, and if Shauf does the opposite with his exaggerated prairie-drawl, Klassen splits the difference with muted perfection.
Tell Me What to Do is also replete with the right chord change at the right time: Klassen is clever enough to interrupt repetitive melodies with the element of surprise, adding a sense of wonderment and unpredictability to an album that is--on the surface--a simple, earnest singer-songwriter album. On the album's best songs, Klassen adjusts the arrangements with the precision of someone breaking into a safe: carefully attentive to each sound, lyric, and voicing. Tunes like 'Arrive With You' and 'Surprised / Not Surprised' succeed because of their timidity: they are equal parts complex and delicate; a glimpse of an easily spooked deer in an urban environment. For better or for worse, the headlights never shine too brightly on
Tell Me What to Do. More often than not, the deer runs back into the trees before you can get a good look.
In full view, however, Klassen's arrangements are captivating. 'Virtuous Circle' is the album's crowning achievement: a frantic, upbeat number that juxtaposes its urgent pace with a suppressed instrumental performance. Rapid 16th notes are more egg shaker than hi-hat; the blistering indie rock guitars the arrangement imply are actually strings, dampened upright pianos, and bells. Tandem openers 'Loss for Words' and 'Ministry of Doubt' carry a similar tension and execution: layers are introduced piece by piece, weaving Klassen's voice expertly into a tapestry of pizzicato strings, fingerpicked guitars, and obscure electric keyboards. 'A Letter to Jessie Boy' is a late-album highlight, drawing attention to Klassen's strongest, clearest storytelling moment: "
I see your diorama display explaining why the earth isn't round / you're never ordinary and you like it that way / would only tie your feet to the ground / but you've got a brother, you've got a sister, you know / you're no exception, one of a million". Klassen can walk the tight-rope of empathy and cynicism with ease, and in
Tell Me What to Do's most realized moments, he does so very well.
'I Want to Move In To Your House' and 'Identivacation' provide an alternate version of Klassen's songwriting: with the same deadened minimalism, Klassen gets playful. The rhythms are cheeky and the delivery borders on a 2020 version of Garden State soundtrack "twee". The listener's mileage with these songs will vary: these moments of levity on
Tell Me What to Do are either an unwelcome detour or an absolute delight, but it's worth mentioning that no moment in the record's 43 minutes is poorly executed. Klassen explores the totality of his sound on
Tell Me What to Do and does so with consistency--it will be up to the listener to determine how many of his muffled, clever tricks they can get down with.
Tell Me What to Do is a thoughtfully crafted and honest record observed from any angle, and its best moments are Klassen's finest work.
