Genre-hopping, Indianapolis-based singer/songwriter
Liz Janes' fourth studio album for Asthmatic Kitty plays fast and loose with traditional indie pop themes. While
Say Goodbye is as warm, quirky, and likably precious as anything else on the
Sufjan Stevens co-founded label,
Janes infuses the collection with enough jazz and soul that it hardly belongs in the same section as
Jookabox or
Shapes and Sizes.
Janes, who has been a member of, or shared the stage with, everyone from
Stevens and the
Castanets to Jandek and the
Black Heart Procession, has the kind of voice that spills out like warm summer rain, and when she sticks to straight-up midtempo balladry (“I Don’t Believe,” “Bodies,” “Firefly,” “Time and Space”) the results are quietly stunning. The laid-back vibe that permeates
Say Goodbye can be a little sleep inducing at times (major sevenths and fluttery electric piano runs should come in pill form), but
Janes imbues each track with such an effortless glow that it’s hard not to recommend, especially in the gray-blue dead of winter. ~ James Christopher Monger