Last year, New York quartet Taking Meds released an album titled Select M to order medication and it was a standout example of primitive, guitar-driven rock with hooks. Songs like “Life Support,” “Outside,” and “Wading Out” were truly wonderful, satisfying, and pure mini-celebrations of the four members really gelling together. And now we fast-forward to the present, and bassist James Palko has returned to his solo project, Jimmy Montague, for a third go-round. Montague’s previous efforts, such as Occasional use AND Afternoon Lightwere standard alternative rock mashups with occasional brass instruments, and while those records were good — if briefly flirting with pop soul — it was only a matter of time before Palko’s alter ego finally took the shape he’d been so clearly sketching for five years.
This is where we meet Coffee of tomorrowa blanket of coolness that takes Billy Joel’s offspring and combines them with jazz fusion, yacht rock, power-pop and bedroom lo-fi in a truly abundant way. Jimmy Montague is a project that occupies the same canon as Mo Troper and Diners — artists who passed the catchiness test and, at the end of the day, are the brightest contemporary disciples of Elephant 6 Collective. Palko, like Troper and Blue Broderick, can write a hell of a pop song and Coffee of tomorrow is relentless in its own quest to string together 10 sticky tracks of this ilk. Good luck finding a crack in this album.
The festivities begin with “Tell You That You’re Right,” and its Nick Lowe-esque organ intro explodes into a solo breakdown that focuses on rhythm and lots of it. The bassline throbs deliciously, the percussion lends itself to a lead snare and then, beautifully, sultry horns. Jess Hall’s echo chamber of vocal harmonies—not unlike something Lesley Miller, Valerie Simpson, and Patti Austin might have sung Gaucho—envelops Palko’s singing. With this trick, Palko never overdoes his singing, instead connecting with the vibe and driving forward as its laid-back conductor. As for the opening tracks, “Tell You That You’re Right” is sweet, lively, and fervent.
Roaring, cosmetic joy Coffee of tomorrow finds a hurricane-force eye in “All the Same,” which can be attributed to Chris Farren’s head-splitting guitar solo — who also hits quite a few high notes on his “When I fall in love, it’s always head over my heels / Ain’t too proud to beg / Ain’t too low to steal / I do what I can to make you feel what I feel” verse, nodding to the familiar pop vernacular permeated by a disco-heavy recital. “Only One For Me” is guitar pop on steroids, punctuated by jazzy harmonics and backing vocals that are so soulful they’ll tear you in half. Full of a horn section that never lets up and Palko’s jet-set attitude, the song goes from sleek club bop to heat-seeking missile once the kaleidoscope of guitar chords is strapped to Connor Waage’s solo. I’ll tell you straight: Coffee of tomorrow is for shredders.
Palko’s strongest moments, however, come in the second half of the record—particularly on “Halfway Out the Door,” which is sublime, vibrant, and charitable in its own hero’s journey into mass divinity of musical bliss and romantic aimlessness. “If easy come and easy go, that’s why I’m always lost,” he sings. “‘Cause I sit and wonder, baby, if love is worth the price.” The song features a parade Turnstiles-esque piano tempos and Eric Stilwell’s bloated trombone solo, and the sun-soaked balm of the organ. There’s an undercurrent of bittersweet melancholy that covers the atmosphere Coffee of tomorrow—but Palko never lets the mood do anything but bewitch. On “Waiting For You,” he abandons the three-foot brass for a lively accent of sung falsetto, Andrew Dominello’s Hammond B3, and a agonizing bassline. And then, as is typical with Jimmy Montague songs, a classic, colorful guitar riff bursts through the singer’s delicate self-writing.
Closing credits Coffee of tomorrow they start crawling on “No Exit,” which is so rooted in pastoral soft-rock songs that you might forget you’re listening to an album released in 2024. But that’s no bad thing. Palko’s work as Jimmy Montague is a sign of evolved formalism, and “No Exit” is gentle in its kinetic, exploratory commitment to rehashing abandoned rock junk. When the song reaches 1:30, Matt Knoedel’s tenor sax solo unfolds, while chooglin’ guitar flourishes gently in the background. It’s the best musical moment of the year so far. Coffee of tomorrow Overall is a smooth gold that strongly defies the Taking Meds milieu. The album embraces its befuddled, post-counterculture forebears without mocking them, and the platitudes of an era five decades old are attacked by Palko with an impeccable, time-honored dose of seriousness until they sound modern again. Coffee of tomorrow is a set of catchy melodies that stay in your memory for a long time. And what do you think about this?
Matt Mitchell reports that Pastemusic editor from their home in Columbus, Ohio.
