POPISM » Just The Architect

Just The Architect’s “Theo The Weak”

FmmS — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:13:59 +0000

Jonathan Chan, the mind behind Just The Architect, is one of those people that always leave us mesmerizes by anything he touches!

Wandering through his own magical world, Just The Architect present us six new songs on the edge of perfection. Title track is violent and chaotic, a love tragedy, a fantasy, a dream – all this combining a pop sensibility to marvellous string arrangements and beautiful lyrics…

“Little Tin Soldiers” could be Just The Architect’s major approach to a gothic lullaby, “The Trade” reminds his first demos. A stunning duet with Rachel Kenedy on “Concoction” brings strings and backing vocals making way to a dazzling female voice. “Lost Along The Way” is pop music via Patrick Wolf and Owen Pallet.

The best moment of this EP is definitely “In Motion”… a dark, melancholic, repetitive melody swirls inside our minds like some kind of spell, it’s impossible not to stay put and listen closely to all that’s happening inside just one song. When it’s over you just wish it would never end…

I’ve written about Just The Architect before and he is definitely someone you will want to follow, he might never become world wide famous… but those who know him, are surely quite lucky!

Download “Theo The Weak” EP HERE

Just The Architect does “Peach, Plum, Pear”

FmmS — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:28:18 +0000

Jonathan Chan says: “Me learning this great Joanna Newsom tune via Owen Pallett. I’m runnin the violin through a Boss RC20 Looper and a Boss ME50 multi-fx and reading lyrics off a laptop… I’m cool. Anyway, it’s a work in progress so please be kind!”

“Peach, Plum, Pear” is a song from Joanna Newsom’s stuning debut album “The Milk-Eyed Mender”, here played by the amazing Just The Architect…

Just The Architect

FmmS — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:16:13 +0000

Jonathan Chan (or Just The Architect) lives in Birmingham, where he is an architecture student and a remarkable violinist. Listening to his music is a totally new experience, not possible to completely define: think the musical wisdom of Patrick Wolf, Owen Pallet and Andrew Bird, think the fantasy world in the lyricism of Lewis Carroll or Angela Carter, think of a quiet forest in the middle of agitated London town, think all this and something totally different, then maybe you’ll get inside Jonathan’s world. As he defines himself, Just The Architect jumps between genres from song to song, but they all stick together perfectly.
Last year, Just The Architect released three EP’s for free download on his MySpace page: “508” which includes the brilliants ‘Cathedral Spires’, ‘Cadet Force’ and ‘Countach!’; “Tiger vs. World” has its peak on ‘Off The Cliffs’ and ‘Avast!’ (one of my personal favorites) and “Tinseltown Tongues” the less interesting of the three, still quite good! His latest songs (unreleased at the moment) include epic moments reminding a bit of Celtic music (‘Honey & Cake’ and ‘Road To Applecross’) and experiences with 8-bit electronics on his best song so far, the furious ‘Theo The Weak’. Check his MySpace page HERE and surrender!!!

Download “508” EP HERE
password: popism.info

Watch the brilliant video for his song “Stickmen & Chimneys” below