Who Is Jonny?

About a month ago, with relatively little fanfare, Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub and Euros Childs, formerly of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, released an underappreciated album under the name Jonny. As it has been about five weeks since it came out (and I haven't mentioned a thing about it), I guess I'm part of the problem. Let's rectify that.

You probably know the power pop of the Scottish troupe Teenage Fanclub. After all, they have been releasing acclaimed albums for two decades now. You may not know Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and, sadly, they called it quits more than five years ago. These Welshmen weren't quite as accessible, but I really dug their far-out quirkiness disguised as psychedelic folk. I especially liked the early songs sung in their native tongue. They had absolutely no peers in the early '90s. I had never heard anything like it. As for Jonny, the duo's sound leans a little more into Gorky's territory. There is quite a bit of experimentation going on, and not all of it works, but most of it is pretty catchy. Jonny probably won't win too many new converts. If you like the duo's other bands, you will like this, too. If you haven't been converted, I hope these songs below will nudge you in the right direction.

The Gorky's Zygotic Mynci song was taken from their first American release, 'Introducing Gorky's Zgotic Mynci.' It was a 1996 compilation of their earliest recordings. Like most of the band's discography, it is out of print, but you can find used copies here. Yes, this, their first single, was sung in Welsh. The Teenage Fanclub tune dates back to an EP of the same name from way back in 1990. It can also be found on the awesome 'Children of Nuggets' box set. Yep, that one is out of print, too.

You can stream the entire album from Jonny (via Merge Records) below. If you like it, how about buying it?

Jonny - Candyfloss (mp3)
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Merched Yn Neud Gwallt Eu Gilydd (mp3)
Teenage Fanclub - God Knows It's True (mp3)

Stream the full release from Jonny.