Indie rock originally positioned itself as an antidote to Your Parents’ Music, namely the mainstream sounds of ’70s and ’80s pop. But recently artists such as Rhye and the War on Drugs, whose work references postdisco R&B and the guitar rock beloved by grizzled dads, respectively, have been reclaiming these formerly unhip aesthetics.
Now Tobias Jesso Jr., who plays two intimate gigs this week in support of Goon, his buzzy debut on the tastemaking True Panther Sounds label, sets his sights on the piano men Mom and Dad love so much. That club includes Paul McCartney and Harry Nilsson but also the less-cool triumvirate of Elton John, Barry Manilow and Billy Joel. While these artists had different ideas about production values, they all relied on the same basic tool kit (a keyboard, simple melodies) and the knowledge that there will always be a market for shiny-sounding stuff about affairs of the heart.
Goon is beautiful in a ramshackle way—bright but a little rough around the edges. Jesso has a light touch on the keys—he rarely thumps—and a pleasing way of gently multitracking his voice. “Can’t Stop Thinking About You” and “For You” show this artist at his most affecting; these songs are tragic yet eminently hummable, and they maintain an off-the-cuff, playing-in-the-living-room feel. Jesso, only 27, just might be the new face of adult contemporary.—Elias Leight