Presents Author Unknown

Just a fantastic power pop album. Not sure how superstardom eluded this guy. If you like this -- and you will -- check out Ro Sham Bo by The Grays.

Falkner is rock genius. Amazing debut album.

Friend turned me on to this artist. Anyone who enjoys expertly crafted pop songs with infectious hooks will dig it too!

awesome

I got this album a few years ago and it's probably the single most played CD I have had in the past 10 years. My I-River MP3 player has given me many hours of pleasure with this CD. So first of all let's get this straight, all the instruments, voices, noises & Lyrics (as per CD's booklet) are by Jason Falkner himself which is almost hard to believe. I would be happy to pay good money to see a band that played as well as this. Above and beyond the musicianship on display here are the wonderful lyrics present on each and every song. Fabulous Pop/Rock riffs with hooks a plenty. To my ears it's a perfect mix of American/British Pop influence's both old and new. I can hear ("XTC" - Check `Don't show me heaven', "Beatles" - Check `She Goes to Bed' with it's background orchestration "Blur" - Check `I Go Astray' as well as people like "Cheap Trick", "Beachboys", "Kinks" & even "Robyn Hitchcock" on other tracks. As many influences as this guy may have he has certainly made this Album uniquely his own through his humorous & often thought provoking lyrics and natural pop-sensibilities. Thankfully his voice is a perfect accompaniment to the songs on the album. There is a good mix of styles on display here from fast pop-induced songs which share space with slow introspective songs without either seeming out of place. Everything compliments the album as a whole and this is to date probably his best effort I feel. Released 1996 it still sounds very current, especially amongst the British Indie Scene. If you're looking for great songwriting, catchy pop riffs & a range of styles then please pick up this CD, you won't regret it. Just ignore the lame Cover.

Jason Falkner is one of the torch carriers of the Beatlesian pop ethic crafting clever, sophisticated nuggets in the tradition of Paul Mccartney and Elvis Costello - a far cry from the back-to-basics, amps-up-to-11, trash 'n roll that is in the ascendant. Classically-trained JF left cult combo Jellyfish to go solo. Which he's done with convincing results, not least on Presents: Author Unknown which is a more grown-up, expensive-sounding affair than previous hi-octane workouts Bliss Descending EP, for instance, which has the wonderful They Put Her in the Movies. With his last few records, Jason Falkner is, one senses, trying to bring this kind of pop aesthetic to the mainstream audience (I'd rather listen to him than Bryan Adams, for example). He certainly has all the tools at his disposal to carry it off. Talent seems to ooze from his every pore. His main weak selling point is his self-effacing profile; his records lack the kind of homogeneity that all major-selling albums are expected to have. It's top-of-the-line music but doesn't scream `Choose me!' when you browse through your CDs.Typically with an artist like JF, you immediately try to spot the influences. His is a slick mid-Atlantic sound, not at all like the jangly but shambly Brit indie bands. Highlights include Miracle Medicine and She Goes to Bed but the whole record is pretty good. The key word here is quality: it gleams with sheer quality - the songwriting, the arranging, the lyrics, the tunes are all quality personified. But trying to find the JF personality or soul in the music is a frustrating endeavour.

Top to bottom, left to right, this CD is Jason Faulkner. Just like many of his previous projects, Faulkner draws on considerable songwriting talents to produce great songs. Unlike his previous projects, he wrote ALL of the music and played ALL the instruments (excepting one "bumblebee guitar part"). Now, this in and of itself is not too terribly unusual. Prince did several albums the same way. Also similar to Prince, Jason Faulkner writes songs that are singable, memorable, head-bobbing, fun, and seemingly kinda, well, simple.If you take a very close look, Faulkner's songs are anything but simple. Underneath all of those singable melodies, there lies depth and complexity. An example: "Follow Me" seems to be a fairly standard verse-chorus-verse song melodically. I thought so. Then I tried to learn it. I was continually suprised and challenged by the stuff that he was doing different EVERY TIME he hit the verse. It barely ever fully repeats itself. If you focus on the lyrics, though, you might not ever know.Just to make myself clear: I would by no means call Jason Faulkner funky. I draw The comparison to Prince only because many people consider Prince to be a genius for the same talents (not styles) that Faulkner exhibits. Jason rocks with an almost punky approach on "Miracle Medicine," and sings sweetly on the acoustic-ish number "Before My Heart Attacks."Some people dig lyrics more than music, though, and Jason is no slouch in this department, either. His songs are never meaningless, but thier meanings are not so cut-and-dried that they are spelled out for each listener. I think that people will draw thier own meanings from most of the lyrics. THAT is art.If this seems like too much information, here's what I'm trying to say. If you like cool, accessible, Beatles-derived pop, You will like this album. If you are into songwriting, you will like this album. If you are into complexity, this CD will appeal to you. If you like to rock, there's stuff here for you. If you like clever lyrics, check it out. Unless speed metal is your bag, I really don't see how most people could go wrong.One further note. I read in an online interview Faulkner left Jellyfish because he felt that his songwriting input was not being taken seriously, and that he did not want to be "that group's George Harrison." After this CD, I can definitely see his point.

Holy cow, this is some blindingly well-crafted pop! And pretty much does it all by himself. Great voice too. Almost gives the Beatles and Elvis Costello a run for their money in terms of song craft.

How did my pop radar fail to detect Jason Falkner for so long?!This is classic angsty pop for now people, it's crafted, it's edited, it's produced by the author to meet his own demanding standards. It's not a patronising self agrandising rush for the top, rather it is pensive, halting, deeply involving and above all melodic. Killer tunes and dynamics pour from the studio that is Jasons pop brain.Purchase without delay!