Bad Bad Not Good are perfect partners for Jonah Yano
Dreamy, jazz-powered new release perfect for a Sunday afternoon
By: MICHAEL HOLLETT
Photo: Kyler Berger
Jonah Yano:
Portrait of a Dog
Genre:
Rating: NNNN (out of 5) Genre: Dream pop Sound: Jamming on a Sunday afternoon If you like: Bad Bad Not Good, Frank Ocean, Daniel Cesar Best Track : Portrait of a Dog Why you should listen: Montreal-based dream pop purveyor Jonah Yano’s fragile, vulnerable vocals are grandly supported by the modern jazz virtuosity of Toronto’s avant guardians Bad Bad Not Good (BBNG) on his second album, Portrait of A Dog. It’s a casual, comfortable release. Yano’s gentle, falsetto-fuelled “word pictures,” once carefully whispered, provide a launch pad for powerful BBNG improvs.
The groove is easygoing on an album that doesn’t scream for attention but that promises ongoing rewards with repeat listening.
Recorded in a farmhouse just outside Toronto during COVID-19 lockdowns, there’s plenty of space on this release with nothing claustrophobic or urban about it. Written at a time of significant personal vulnerability for Yano, after a break-up and a sobering visit to aging grandparents, his occasionally (understandably) melancholic musings are supported by aural hugs from the reliable jazz-and-groove masters at Bad Bad Not Good.