CD of The Week

Japanese Breakfast - For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) (Dead Oceans)

2021 was a truly momentous year for Philadelphia indie ambassador, Michelle Zauner. Not only did the third album from Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee, break through at a major scale (a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album, Top 10 placement on year-end lists from virtually every publication), but her emotionally wrenching memoir, Crying in H Mart, was released to massive acclaim and sales, staying on the New York Times best-seller list for over a year. After a four-year gap that included a stalled attempt at writing/producing the Crying in H Mart film adaptation (which is now in “development hell”) and an extended period living in Seoul, Zauner’s main musical project is back with the vividly titled For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women).

The new album is somewhat of a departure for the band as the homemade playfulness of their earlier music has been dulled, replaced with a lush studio polish courtesy of producer Blake Mills (Feist, Fiona Apple). The arrangements are baroque, but also occasionally twangy, strings appear on at least four songs, and the only credited guest is the favorite actor of most Boomer dads, Jeff Bridges (who duets on the sweet and gentle “Men in Bars”). Yet, the most unexpected shift is the perspective of the songwriting. Very little is autobiographical, with Zauner drawing creative inspiration from Thomas Mann (the closer “Magic Mountain”), Greek mythology (“Leda”), and even the disturbing proliferation of incel culture (“Mega Circuit”).

The different perspectives of the many narrators on the album can be difficult to grasp on first listen, but the cleverness of the lyrics and the melodies are more immediate. “Picture Window” is a highlight with a driving rhythm and a great opening line as Zauner sings of her “baby who loves a port town and a shuffle” who “only cries on Ferris wheels.” “Mega Circuit” is more laid-back and sonically indebted to Laurel Canyon country-rock, but still possesses sharp barbs directed at “incel eunuchs” who are “pissed off and jaded.” “Honey Water” is another stand-out with incisive lyrics, haunting piano, and an extended, fuzzy guitar outro. Some of the album’s other tracks are too mellow to make a major impact, but all have unique sonic touches and thought-provoking imagery.

Michelle Zauner is at an odd place where she is probably more well-known as an author than as one of the smartest and more adventurous musicians of the last decade, but For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) should continue to grow her band’s fanbase even if it is a moderate departure from the rest of their discography. Even if one is initially thrown by the lush soundscapes and moody vibe of the album, the ten songs grow on repeated listens for those who prefer their Philly indie atmospheric and lush to raw and aggressive.

Japanese Breakfast will be returning to Philadelphia for two shows at The Met on May 15th and May 16th.
Review by Sol