Uniform Distortion is a raw album; it feels like a direct line to the psyche of a troubled man. However that doesn’t necessarily work to its favour. There are parts that are uncomfortable to hear, with chaotic elements that clash ever so violently.
Throughout the album James exercises melodies that are either so mundane they’re dismissible or so outlandish that you cringe while listening. ‘Yes To Everything’ begins with James heartily laughing and moves into a song filled with vocal cracks and a disturbed high pitched guitar solo. ‘Just A Fool’ is a collection of uninventive verses. James holds moments where you’re engaged in the music and rest easy, but alternates between themes so quickly it’s not long before you’re sitting rigid once again.
Jim James has used Uniform Distortion as his petri dish, it zigs when it should zag. There is virtue in creating something that doesn’t “work in the frame” as he puts it. But despite the message behind the tracklist, “blanket distortion on society/media,” this album is a mess with random inclusions of harmonies, unusual instrumental breaks, and unnerving vocals.
5
