Julien Chang delivered one of 2019's more intriguing debut albums in
Jules, a dizzyingly intricate work made mostly in secret, largely by himself, and titled after a nickname that no one actually calls him. Surprises and dualities remain important on
The Sale, whether
Chang contrasts bucolic folk with urbane jazz and funk, or lets them flow into each other via psychedelic pop. His music is equally easygoing and challenging, whether he gives a smooth surface to internal crisis on "Ethical Expectations" or sends the gliding indie pop of "Sweet Obsolete" into wormholes (when he sings "if not self-expression, for what does it stand?" it could be his motto). More so than on
Jules,
The Sale emphasizes the importance of jazz and prog rock in
Chang's style. They're genres that reward restlessness, and he reaps those rewards with "Snakebit"'s sleek yet hyperarticulate musical phrases and "Heart Holiday"'s illusion of a full band working in a state-of-the-art studio when the album's massive opening track was actually made in his childhood home and dorm room at Princeton. "Marmalade"'s chiming impressions of the memories of falling in love make the most of the distance in
Chang's songwriting; "Queen of Sheba"'s delicate blend of dream pop, soft rock, and prog is one of the album's most appealing moments; and "Time and Place"'s graceful orchestral folk reaffirms that
Chang is the logical heir to
Grizzly Bear, if he wants to be. ~ Heather Phares