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Jona Byron's beautiful new mini-album ‘Extinct Hearts' is much more than just a warmer for his full length debut album ‘Halos', due out 2010. It is a seminal piece of work. The 7 tracks cover the last few years of Jona's musical and human journey, from homelessness, broken relationships and personal battles. 'Hearts' oozes longevity and a deep emotional core, while also acting as a musical journal of an era often full of hardship. The new single ‘Beautiful Bird' conjures delicate moments of the late Elliot Smith and paints a story of mental illness and a lovers fading hope while resting on well-crafted melodies and stunning vocals. The angsty title opener ‘Extinct Hearts' rides on a hypnotic pulse of bass, organ and dense guitars, and acts as a warning, as Byron reflects on a world gone mad. ‘Glass Jaws' opens with subtle acoustics and banjo yet blooms into a powerful acoustic tour de force, with it's catchy melody, strong bass (played by Edmondo Ammendola of Augie March) and evocative imagery. The devastating ‘Arm Yourself' rolls like a medieval Leonard Cohen song complete with haunting cello work by Francesca Mountfort, while the cover of the classic Bob Dylan song ‘The Times They Are A Changing' is a beautiful departure from the original and works more as a contemporary apocalyptic anti-war song.
The mini album was produced and recorded by Jona himself (the benefits of being a sound producer) in various houses, studios and locations across Melbourne, with producer Myles Mumford (Lamplight, Kate Vigo) stepping in for some minimal production at Atlantis Sound.
Jona's music and songwriting has been revered by artists such as Conway Savage (The Bad Seeds) and Glenn Richards (Augie March) and he has toured and played with acts such as Machine Translations, Sime Nugent and Jason Mraz.
He has lived, worked and performed in Melbourne now for 10 years (releasing 2 previous independent EP's along with an album from instrumental band "The Boats") and has styled his own unique fusion between rootsy cosmic folk and edgy indie rock.
‘Extinct Hearts' will be released Nov 17 through Popboomerang Records. If you ORDER the record you will receive a digital download of rare B-Sides and Alternative Mixes, including a digital booklet of artwork and photographs! To order the album, visit this link.
REVIEWS
Jona Byron of The Boats is a man who is well versed in how to make an epic of the ordinary. His lengthy songs and lyrically evocative tales swell slowly and captivate what should be a drained audience, but we all listen rapt. The new 'Red Jerusalem' ("Fill my cup with sand / You'll bury my eyes / I won't see you my friend / Turn blood to water") shows a mind keen at work and with the upbeat closing 'All My Days Are Mad' a broad pallet is proven and another talented individual joins the fold of Laterra. - Dec '07 - Andy Hazel (Inpress)
Gives you a kind of Bob Dylan folky feel. Quite dark at times but full of atmosphere, blended together with good melodies and heart-wrenching lyrics. Very deep but cool.
Nov '03 - Pat Fagan on the Dirty Royals EP (Elevation Station, Scotland)
Australian, alternative folk meister, Jona Byron has been compared to some of the very greats in music such as Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke and on hearing the opening track of this 6 track mini album I could see why, 'Goodbye Blue Monday' opens like a morphing of snippets from the KLF's 'Chill out' and Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' and builds on a dark, melancholic [without being miserable] country vibe.
Stand out track for me is the beautifully understated 'Goodnight to the Moon', a piano and a voice can sometimes be all you need to get the message across. Sounding at times like the Penguin Café Orchestra jamming with Crowded House on Valium. A&R verdict: Jona Byron will be huge, mark my words! He's a class apart…… high quality music, introspective words, significant production head....4.8/5
- '02 Iain Fugue ES A&R Panelist (Molotov Records)
I've known Jona Byron for a couple of years. During this time I've seen him perform shows and heard various demo recordings of his music. As well as being an able and talented songwriter he possesses a unique voice that is not only of a high quality but is also very distinctive.
- '02 - Matt Walker (Musician/ARIA Winner)
Pretty songs feature near-spectral male vocals that wind around themselves, forming loops your ears eagerly trace as if they were visibly hanging in the sky. Acoustic strummings tie off all the pretty, floating tips that comprise these songs.
- Kali.H (Listen.com/Rolling Stone)
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