Jamie T - Panic Prevention

The buzz surrounding Jamie T throughout 2006 means that Panic Prevention is likely to be one of the most eagerly awaited debuts of 2007. The 20 year old has made his name so far with storming live performances featuring just him, his straight talking MC-inspired lyrics and his bass guitar. With a couple of big singles now ensuring some mainstream attention, many will be keeping a close eye on this release.

Comparisons have been numerous and are unavoidable. Panic Prevention proves that: yes his lyrical realism, song subjects and clever wordplay is a style with which the Arctic Ms have had huge success; yes his vocal texture and occasionally shambolic, stripped down delivery is at times reminiscent of a Sarf London Pete D; yes his poetic and at times anthemic treatment of urban themes is influenced by Mike S; but crucially, the similarities are incidental and the talent is entirely Jamie T’s. With Panic Prevention he makes the transition from quirky live act to serious music maker thanks to an eclectic mix of influences, some beats, some samples, a poet’s insight into youth culture and above all some great tunes.

The album kicks off with an homage to his instrument of choice: Brand New Bass Guitar. As a song it sums up a lot of what Jamie T is about. It is left stripped down and performed live with little other than him and the eponymous guitar. His unique vocal style is allowed to stand on its own (he is somewhere between an MC and Pete Doherty, and his “hello baby” is even reminiscent of a 50s rock’n’roller) while his finest quality – his lyrics – are clear and accessible. As with most of the album, they are witty takes on controversial themes. Here gun crime, alcohol and drink driving.

Along with Back In The Game, Brand New Bass Guitar will keep those Jamie T purists happy with their faithfulness to the original live versions of the songs, showcasing lyrical and musical talent that does not need overblown production and padding. The rest of the first half of the album, though, is largely made up of altogether ‘bigger’ songs. First up is Salvador, which is lyrically among his finest work. The pounding bass line is accompanied by bittersweet study of nightclub nights, of “Bang bang Anglo-Saxons at the disco”. There are hints of darkness under the surface of the fun and frivolity by the subtle references to underage girls who lie to their parents to go out: “when I’m on the floor all the boys feel me and dear diary’s never been a friend of mine”.

Next up is the anthem of the collection, the Streetsy current single Calm Down Dearest. String laden, full of swagger and with a gorgeous chorus, it relates the highs and lows of drink and drugs excess. The “I sedated hatred…and all my rage” is contrasted with the “It’s heavy, it’s on my mind, you say you feel just fine” indicating that for all the euphoria of “I’ve been drunk forever” and “racking and stacking your lines”, there is a price to pay. Despite the warnings, musically Calm Down Dearest remains the perfect soundtrack to a night out. It is followed up with the even darker So Lonely Was The Ballad, another insightful examination of the same theme, this time with more emphasis on the potential for violence: “Lets go dancing with the average Joes who talk with their fists and argue with their friends”. There is also a sample from a self-help tape (his own) on how to deal with having panic attacks, a reference to drug paranoia – “living life in the fast lane…this is definitely all for you”.

After the simplicity of Back In The Game, Operation takes things to a new level. A behemoth of a song that evolves as it develops, it is probably the most like a traditional Indie song with its Strokes-like guitars, but is still unique in its sound with hints of both Ska and Drum’n’Bass. Again it is peppered with lyrical pearlers like “I ain’t no abacus but you can count on me” and the hilarious refrain: “take your problem to United Nations, tell poor Kofi about the situation”. A song about the “lost boys in the lost towns, lost girls in the lost and found”, it is a highlight.

Summer single Sheila is the centrepiece of the album. Destined to be one of the great songs about London, the leading couplet “Sheila goes out with her mate Stella, it gets poured all over her fella” is possibly the most memorable rhyme not written by Alex Turner for a long time. Though not directly Ska sounding, this song is reminiscent of the band to whom Jamie T may owe more than any influence: The Specials. The poetic but direct treatment of youth culture and the downtrodden characters draw a direct parallel with Terry Hall’s band. The samples work well to complement the story as it unfolds and listeners are even treated to a bit of culture with a reading of Betjeman’s poem ‘The Cockney Amorist’ sampled. The combination of Jamie’s wit, the lyrical realism of the characters’ dark stories and the wonderful chorus make Sheila an instant classic.

The second half of Panic Prevention sees Jamie T’s songs become more eclectic and experimental. Pacemaker finds Jamie in full MC mode with another pulsating bassline and fast ‘pace’. It carries you along ceaselessly with the story of the song with the help of some sparse chords, leaving you almost breathless by its climax. With incessant rhymes full of teenage colloquialisms, he again exposes the highs and lows of the endemic alcohol-fuelled life of the British post-Millenium youth: nights out, coughing up blood, swearing, peer pressure and fighting.

Though both influenced by Reggae and Ska, Dry Off Your Cheeks and If You’ve Got The Money are polar opposites. The former is a Babyshambolic, atmospheric number with snarled vocals and very little backing. With the absence of much accompaniment Jamie T uses his voice and his lyrics as another musical instrument, using repetition in a similar way to the way Van Morrison does on Astral Weeks. The latter is a faux-love song with the typical witty Jamie T twist, on this occasion a tongue in cheek poke at both the girls who are interested in a boy’s money and the boys who have it. Sandwiched in between these two is the dance-influenced Ike & Tina, probably the poorest song on the album with its one-dimensional beat. The broody Alicia Quays closes the collection with the most hip hop sounding vocal and is another atmospheric song. As a song it is fine but in the context of the album I found my concentration drifting after 45 minutes of having so many characters and ideas thrown at me. In truth I was already itching to skip back to some of the more immediate earlier tunes for a bit of a singalong.

Panic Prevention has the distinction of wearing its influences on its sleeve but yet sounding entirely fresh. Because of the different genres at work here (Jungle, Garage, Drum’n’Bass, Indie, Metal, Hip hop, Punk, Reggae and Ska to name a few) listeners will be drawn to different songs depending on their taste. The beauty of the album is that Jamie T turns his hand with equal verve to each style and as a result leaves few disappointed.

There are some aspects of the album and Jamie T himself that people may not like. For one, certain critics may distrust the fact that he is firmly middle class, went to Grammar school (though so did a certain Joe Strummer) and hometown Wimbledon is about as far from the ghetto as you can get. Second, those who are already riding shotgun on the Jamie T bandwagon and have had the privilege of seeing him live with just his voice and his bass guitar may be wary of the production on some of the tracks with the likes of ‘Sheila’ and ‘Calm Down Dearest’ treated rather lavishly. Similarly, the interspersing of the tracks with clips of his mates is at times funny but can be irritating and give a bit of a school project feel to it. On the other hand it is indicative of the personal nature of the relationship between some artists and their fans that exists today, a phenomenon first developed by The Libertines that has since exploded thanks to the likes of Myspace. Jamie T and this album are invested with the same DIY attitude (early EPs were put out on his own label and he used to post personal mixtapes to his fans) - though not really a concept album, the characters, stories, personal clips and themes give it a kind of blog-like feeling.

In their own respective ways The Streets and the Arctic Monkeys have summed up the feelings and captured the imagination of the British youth in recent years (and sold a fair few records doing it) – Jamie T is set to join them in the coming few. There is very little else around that so accurately captures what it’s like growing up in New Labour Britain. As an album it will also appeal to fans of several genres of music, not just because there are several at work influencing the sound and content, but because of the quality and individuality of the song writing. At his best Jamie T writes songs that draw you in and never let you rest, carried along with his incessant rhymes and downtrodden characters. If I were a betting man I’d put money on Panic Prevention being nominated for the Mercury Prize and if this album is anything to go by, Mr T could be an important figure in British music over the next few years. I pity the fool who doesn’t buy this record (sorry I had to do it…)

First published on glasswerk.co.uk See it here.