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My Jessica Dennison + Jones fandom began last summer when I wandered into an alley café and, while waiting for a friend, noticed the concert happening in a tucked-away corner. Playing to an impressively attentive audience that included small children and grandparents, Jessica Dennison and Jessica Jones were making music so slight I could barely hold on to it or give it a name. I stayed for only a few songs, but left convinced that I had just witnessed Portland’s best-kept musical secret.
Thankfully, the band’s music made its way to the good folks at Party Damage Records (Point Juncture WA, Máscaras, Aan), who are letting the secret out into the world this weekend. Backed by an infectiously sparse rhythm section, the band’s self-titled debut induces nostalgia without being a distillation of any particular scene or time period. That said, the album sounds so familiar that most listeners will likely attempt to puzzle out the sources of its sepia-toned mystery.
