Let’s face it, 2009 was a pretty dull year for music. There were very few memorable albums and even fewer, less memorable personalities. But one thing we can take solace in is the amount of young, über-talented musicians that seemed to emerge. Whether it was Lisa Mitchell and her surprisingly awesome debut Wonder or the schizophrenic pop leanings of Micachu & The Shapes, the final year of the noughties hinted at a bright tomorrow in the new decade.

One member of this prodigious brigade who went fairly unnoticed in most publicity circles was Sydney’s Jonathan Boulet. The 21-year-old dropped his debut self-titled album towards the end of 2009 and people are now finally cottoning on to him. And why shouldn’t they? His album, put simply, is very good. Notice there is no qualifier at the end of that sentence. It does not read ‘...very good for a first album’ or ‘...very good for someone barely out of their teens’. Jonathan Boulet is just good. It’s raw, passionate, a touch experimental and highly accomplished. It does not need to hide behind the fact its maker is only 21 years old.

Its appeal lies in its ingenuity. At every turn, there is something new and exciting to be digested. Continue Calling has the young man crooning over an acoustic fiasco, in You Never Knew Me his multi-tracks channel a not so distant Elliott Smith while the broken beat and mental bassline of Lay Off The Streets For A While echoes the frenetic electronica of Four Tet. But his masterpiece comes at the end. The ingratiating pop sweetness of A Community Service Announcement sees Boulet out-Temper Trapping The Temper Trap.

Dwell on his age if you will, but to do so would be to sell Jonathan Boulet short. The only matter of importance to be taken from his youth, as well as that of those mentioned above, is that music has a very safe future.

James Bollard

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