Album Review: Jimi Tenor — Multiversum
It’s a delight to stumble upon music that resolutely resists categorization. That’s the case with Multiversum, the latest album form Finnish musician Jimi Tenor. His chosen instrumental palette suggests jazz, but the music draws from trip-hop, electronica, baroque pop and other disparate inspirations. One moment the music seems to bear the influence of Burt Bacharach; the next, DEVO.
Sonic textures that shouldn’t work together find a kind of dissonant coexistence on this album. Strange to be sure, it’s also irresistibly alluring, with clattering drum machines, chirpy flutes and skewed synth patches all swirling around in the mix. Cuts like “Jazznoveau” wouldn’t be out of place in a playlist of post-bop jazz, while “Uncharted Waters” is an impressionistic and hypnotic downtempo cut straight out of the late ‘90s. But while there are musical touchstones to be found within this music, in the end it sounds like nothing else you’re likely to encounter.
Equal parts challenging and accessible, a trip to the Multiversum is likely to be a unique – and uniquely rewarding – experience.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.