Who? Alan Roberts often performs with a bowling hat atop his head and always under the moniker Jim Noir, which he derived from British comedian Jim Moir. Though the wistful singer/songwriter has produced several EPs, last March’s South by Southwest performance and this week’s U.S. release of debut full-length Tower of Love mark his Stateside landing.
What’s the Deal? Tower of Love is a lush-yet-clunky affair wherein keen guitar plucks or Casio keys puncture the warm and fuzzy undertone of Noir’s bedroom pop songs. While the album teems with Beach Boys’-melodies, cooing harmonies, and shimmery ooos, it hardly suffers from ’60s surfer nostalgia: The playfully exotic balladry of the Beta Band and the autumnal acoustic meanderings of Badly Drawn Boy inform standout cuts “My Patch” and “Computer Song.”
Fun Fact: “If you don’t give my football back / I’m gonna get my dad on you / I only kicked it over the fence and broke a silly gnome or two,” sings Noir on winsome single “Eanie Meany,” prompting Adidas to enlist the singer/songwriter for the commercial they aired during this year’s World Cup (read more).
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On the Web: jimnoir.com
