You’ve heard the stories of the well-known naturalists. Henry David Thoreau, Chris McCandless, and so forth.
The artist Jeanes has a philosophy that truly reminds me of these past figures. In his music, he aims to produce not just a song, but an atmosphere. He believes in the importance of escaping manmade factors and embracing nature and the bases of our environment, and he expresses this philosophy beautifully.
“Afraid if others hear her words // Her deepest thoughts won’t be just hers”
Jeanes’ song, “Simple Jayne,” chronicles a girl who feels the need to keep to herself in fear of the idea that others think the way she does. This girl longs for uniqueness, as if her identity rests on her contrarian abilities. But in almost juxtapositional fashion, she hides her individualism from others rather than showing it.
In our carefully manufactured world, Jeanes aims to remind listeners of the pure nature around us through his use of sound effects (in this particular song, birds chirping was the prominent one). The result? A simple song with little distractions, creating a forest-like, fully natural-sounding atmosphere.
Could you speak a little bit to the story behind this song? Also, you write your own music, but don’t sing any songs yourself. What inspired this particular decision? Whose voice is featured on “Simple Jayne?”
“Simple Jayne” was inspired by an article by Ian McDonald about Nick Drake – in which he said that sensitive people are often scared to explain how they feel for fear of finding that other people feel the same as them, meaning that they’re not as unique as they think they are.
I wrote a demo of this and other songs many years ago with me singing and I uploaded it to the internet, not knowing what to expect. I’d always envisaged my songs being sung by female voices – and I scoured the web looking for the right vocalist for each of my demos. Subsequently I made contact with a singer from Paris called Catherine Hershey and she recorded a new vocal in the early hours of the morning with bird song streaming through the open windows of her Parisian bedroom.
Many of my songs have back story’s with singers I’ve discovered through the internet.
Why did you choose to upload two different versions, “Wings and Strings” and “Morning Blackbirds,” of “Simple Jayne” on streaming services?
My original internet demo had an outline string arrangement, but When Catherine recorded the song I only sent her a harp backing. After hearing Catherine’s pared-back vocal, I loved this simpler version so much I decided to release the voice and blackbird version. The later version with strings has taken a while as I needed to find money and an arranger (Tom Sidebottom) to help evolve my ideas. I think both versions offer something distinctly different.
You’ve been compared to plenty of a number of prominent folk artists, like Linda Perhacs and Nick Drake. Are there any particular artists who have inspired you that you try to reflect in your music?
I try to concentrate on creating mood in my writing, keeping arrangements quite simple. I want people to concentrate on the words. I like the idea of poetry set to music. Other than the artists you mention I love writers like Kate Bush, Vashti Bunyan and Joanna Newsom. I love musical storytellers.
What does the rest of the year look like for you?
I’m currently working on outline ideas for new songs and collaborations. I’ve also been busy writing a children’s book on climate change (called Skyler & the Naturenet), and a poetry book about children’s mental health. Both music and my books usually have similar natural themes. I’m hoping to publish a new poetry book and release new music in December.
