Jason Roe

Jason Roe’s Murmuration is an impressive, self-produced effort that sounds like it was constructed by an entire team of engineers. Roe, who earned a degree in sound engineering from Columbia College, has been producing music for other artists, doing his own writing and performing, and working on TV and film music for over a decade. Those experiences can be heard all over Murmuration, his third solo album. The songs exhibit great attention to detail, with each sound carefully separated. The drums and bass sound as rich as Roe’s ever-present acoustic guitar, but the sound is never jumbled, even when horns, piano, strings, accordion, and other instruments are added. Thankfully, Roe is just as talented at songwriting as he is at audio manipulation, because even the most impressive production skills can’t carry an entire album. The album’s ten songs tread mainly in the populous realm of acoustic pop rock, but there’s a pronounced moodiness to Murmuration that keeps it from getting stale. The litany of sounds that Roe employs also helps to add a more interesting flavor to the otherwise straightforward source material.

Murmuration doesn’t immediately bring the usual influences to mind. Even Roe’s voice defies the application of descriptive touchstones, though it isn’t exceptionally unique. To his credit, Roe places more emphasis on creating a larger instrumental experience than on highlighting vocals. <br>