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Jay Blazek Crossley is most likely best known for his multi-instrumental work in local punk band Woozyhelmet, the longstanding trio that also features the Octopus Project’s Toto Miranda. So quite a few people might be surprised to hear his screeching vocals be applied to his debut attempt in his realm of folk music. There’s a certain raw and almost uncertain element to Jay’s voice and the music created to frame it in his new album, Tiny Diamonds. Like the few other scattered releases from Soda Pop Sounds, it upholds the quirky, home-produced aesthetic of imprints like Natrix Natrix or SuperPop. The majority of the tracks are no more than 3 minutes long, with Jay cramming as much both lyrically and musically into each song before quickly moving onto the next. His lyrics range from insightful to downright narrative, set to a variation of meandering lo-fi melodies and beats.
Tiny Diamonds opens with “Female (Lady)”, set to a steady beat as Jay tells the tale of woman named Cynthia. Ever the equal opportunist, he then moves onto a song of the opposite sex “Male (Fellas)” in which he’s joined by what one can assume is a group of friends as they sing a story together to a melody. It’s at this point you can almost picture the majority of the music is being created or being played by campfire with a Texas sunset in the background. The use of the ragged chorus of voices appears from time to time in other tracks, including “Yoohoo Songs,” adding to exuberant, if unruly atmosphere of the album.
Jay continues babbling along in “Lies and Dreams,” a track interlaced with notes of an electric guitar (an instrument that seems to be rarely used in the album). Midway through, Jay winds things down with “Houston (Ike)”, a slow and creaky track with a strange twang of country to it that Jay yowls and howls his way through. “Nightrider (As In Horses)” appears to be the most full-bodied and melodic of all the tracks, compete with drums and guitars and strong vocals. It’s as if by this point in the album, Jay has finally gained a sense of steady footing. As the album reaches its end, Jay manages to even throw in his own odd rendition of the classic song “Puff the Magic Dragon.”
Overall, it’s a good if not unique first attempt at this genre, as Jay manages to stay somewhat within the vein of lo-fi, bedroom folk-pop musicians before him while adding his own unique brand to it. Jay manages to be experimental without becoming too avant-garde, with just enough indie and pop elements added in. It works surprisingly well and the folksy Southern twang to his music cannot be ignored. If this album can be appreciated anywhere, it will be here in Texas.
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