Hi, everyone. Anthony Godtano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. It's time for a review of the new Jean Dawson album, Glimmer of God.

Here we have the latest full-length LP from Mexican-American singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist, Mr. Jean Dawson, a man who at this point is no stranger to a switch-up. Jean originally broke through months into the 2020 pandemic with one of the most versatile sounds the underground had to offer that year. This guy is truly a child of the internet of an era of music consumption, where young listeners are exposed to just as much alternative R&B as they are pop punk and bedroom pop. You can hear all of that and more in his initial records like Bad Sports as well as Pixel Bath.

However, Jean fed all the creativity for those records into a much more focused sound on his third full-length LP to drop in 2022 Chaos Now, which was more of a loud, blaring, anthemic alternative rock vibe. The songs on this thing somehow nailed down a big commercial sound while still bringing enough edge to come across as convincing and true to Jean's DIY roots. But for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, I suppose, because Glimmer of God, emotionally and stylistically, is nowhere in the same ballpark as Chaos Now.

Actually, it's even hard to believe that the man who made this record is the same Jean Dawson. Even with Jean doing his best to forecast a change in his sound with teaser singles, and also the spacey, dreamy, and somewhat gothic range of influences he displayed on some EPs he dropped in 2023 and 2024, I truly don't know what is driving Jean's direction on this project. Is it artistic restlessness? Is it just him taking a total shot in the dark?

Either way, this album is very different for Jean, and that is made clear right on the opening track, "Darlin", which is a beautiful, smooth, nocturnal combination of indie and alternative RnB. It feels like what you would get if you made a print song that would somehow work in a playlist of tracks from The National with a bit of Awaken My Love, Childish Gambino mixed in there, too, if that makes any sense. I know it doesn't, but the track still brings a stellar vocal performance from Jean, where he's singing in this very pained expressive inflection. Nothing nearly as brash or punky as what you might have heard on Chaos Now or Pixel Bath. And lyrically, the track is just a beautiful statement on love and devotion, just a well-written tune all around with a super-lush chorus.

Look, it's a lovely song. It's a strong start to the record. I just wonder whether or not Jean's fans will line up for this, considering how vastly different it is from his previous material. There are numerous other tracks on this record that leave me wondering the same thing. Be that "Houston", which is also very well written, very sweet, very catchy. It is a cinematic piece of synth pop with a million-dollar chorus that I think The Weeknd fans or even Future Islands fans could get down with. But again, that rock and rap edge Jean is usually known for bringing just is not here, which is not a downside for me. I'm just illustrating just how much of a departure this is.

Also, much later on the album, we have "200 Cigarettes", which is like this RnB and indie guitar combination. There are some gorgeous string and piano passages on this track as well that make it really appealing, but I'm getting ahead of myself. What I ultimately want to say here is that I hope, despite this album being as surprising as it is, that fans and listeners hear Jean's general singing and songwriting talents that frankly transcend genre.

With that being said, though, there are some tracks that are a little experimental and out there, and bring some wild genre clashes that I'm not quite a huge fan of. The track "Black Sugar", for example, sounds like what you would get if you had ILoveMakonnen singing over some drums from Yeezus with a post-punky bass line in the backbone of it as well. Just as you think you have the sound of this track figured out, Jean violently tosses listeners into a chorus that sounds like some very sweet, springy, '80s, yuppie pop rock, a la The 1975. I am not fucking joking with you. This track, in terms of the clashing genres, it's just at a level of unhinged that I am not on and really just goes to show how versatile this man's musical capabilities and his palate are. I mean, I wouldn't say they're coming together super well, but it's amazing that he can capture all of these ideas with the accuracy that he does.

The song "Play Dead" also has a very wild progression to it, but simultaneously, it's more consistent esthetic as you get these creepy industrial hip hop passages in the first leg, which eventually bursts into this aggressive techno rap rock finale that sounds like a JPEGMafia song that is yet to be written. There is also a tone shift around the midpoint of the album that maybe more of the trap fans will be into. "Die For Me" goes in exactly that direction, but with some gorgeous pianos and string work. The production is absolutely cinematic. It's really one of Jean's most powerful works to date. His vocal performance is killer as well. The only thing that really weighs it down is this very underwhelming almost half-assed Lil Yachty feature in the second half of the song. I think the track would have worked a lot better with just a second Jean verse, especially considering how personal the song comes across with him drawing a line in the sand between people who really ride or die for him and care about him, and those who might just be really hanging around but aren't actually concerned for his well-being.

The song "Slow Heavy Ecstasy" also brings another spin on dramatic trap bangers. It's atmospheric, it's string-kissed. It sounds like something Don Toliver would be on, and I'm surprised he's not on it. While the production is definitely unique for something in this lane, I wouldn't say I'm necessarily sold on the song or anything like that, or Jean's ability to stand out in this particular lane vocally. The abrupt ending takes away a lot from the track's appeal, too.

The tracklist from here continues on this buffet-like journey as we hit tracks that feel like appetizers. Some tracks feel like savory dishes, others are much sweeter. Like with "The Boy and The Swan" where we suddenly are in indie folk, Sufjan Stevens territory. However, the song structure of this one is chaotic, and it doesn't settle into any one idea long enough for the track to make a super tuneful impression. Thankfully, "Glimmer of God" starts to dish out more focused and coherent songs in the final leg.

There's "200 Cigarettes" that I mentioned earlier. Also, "Pain", which is a heavily distorted take on cloud rap. It's like if you took something classic from the genre in the early 2010s and added some distortion, some thickness to it to make it appeal to a rock fan. There's also a great feature on this track from one of the more important voices in the genre, that would be Bones, whose contribution to the song is surprisingly melodic. And really works perfectly. Jean knew exactly what he was doing with the subterranean and smoky vibes he conjured on this one.

The song "Bubba" brings similar indie and folk influences to that of "The Boy and The Swan", but also has a much stronger song at its core. There's also a cool synthy midpoint to the track that feels like it was lifted out of a Beach House song. Continuing to switch things up further, "Electric Children" brings yet another dramatic '80s indie fusion anthem to the table. While, again, Jean most definitely captured a vibe, he handed us some pastiche. Did he put his own spin on it? Not particularly.

Then the final track on the record surprises yet again with something instrumentally that feels like a Kanye/Bon Iver hybrid. It's another track that brings a lot of chaotic shifts along its 2-minute and 47-second run time. As a result, it never truly coalesces into a super punchy or coherent song. But what I will say is that the message of the track is clear and ties up the overall vibe of the album pretty well, as Jean on this song is commenting on having nothing and yet still splitting that nothing in half and sharing it off or giving it away and also asking for permission to disintegrate, to fall apart. We know he has a history of doing his thing with passion and consistency, but it's like he's looking for the ability to share in his flaws as well, or maybe his darker and more intimate, more emotional moments, as also in the lyrics, he contrasts his ability with building things up with his desire to burn them down. There's also this sparks versus fire dichotomy on the track that also, to a degree, feels like a statement on the creative approach Jean took to this record. It also seems to relate to some of the interpersonal dynamics being commented on on various tracks on this album, too.

Overall, Glimmer of God, I still think is a very good, very solid album. Most of the tracks on here I very much enjoyed. Either that or I saw a lot of merit in them, even if I felt they were coming up a bit short or indulging in some experiments that weren't quite working. It's still a cool record. It's still a creative record. It's still a very well-written and produced album for the most part. But unfortunately, I have a hard time seeing this album hitting quite as hard as his past albums did with his fans who might be expecting a more limited palette of genres and influences coming out of this album.

I'm feeling a light seven on this one.

Anthony Fantano. Jean Dawson. Forever.