Music

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.