Joel Gion - S/T (Burger Records)

Tambourine man Joel Gion is best known for being a member of Brian Jonestown Massacre and who added a much-needed comic relief to the heavy-handed hatchet job known as DiG!, but he’s just now stepped into the spotlight on his own. This ten-track cassette is actually an expanded version of his vinyl debut, but it’s all good, because the ten songs on here are a good time. It’s obvious from the first notes of “Control” that this affair wasn’t going to be too different from his work with Anton Newcombe. There’s not much information as to the lineup, and most arrangements seem to consist of acoustic guitar, occasional woodwinds, and, yes, the tambourine; none of these songs would sound out of place on such classics as Give it Back and Take It From the Man!. At times his voice is deep, not unlike Steve Kilbey or Dandy Warhols‘ Courtney Taylor-Taylor. Other times, like on “Tripping,” “Modern History,” and “Broken Orbit,” one is reminded of early Stone Roses. Most fun is the hilarious “I’m All In,” which sounds exactly like Joel Gion should sound like. The lo-fi demo-like feel of this EP gives the whole affair a slightly stoned feel, which doesn’t take away from the good times, baby.