Admirations

The circumstances surrounding the formation of one-man band Beaujolais were tragic. After being in a two-person band for a long time (the Like Young), Joe Ziemba found the band and his life shattered when his marriage exploded in bitter heartbreak and infidelity. It took him time to get back to music, and when he did it was with the scathing and brutally honest album Love at Thirty, which detailed the breakup almost painfully clearly and paired stark emotion against beautifully crafted pop music inspired by artists like the Zombies, Brian Wilson, and Harry Nilsson. It was the richest-sounding music of Ziemba's career (he was also a member of Wolfie and Busy Toby) and it helped ease the sting of the words. The follow-up album, Admirations, was released exactly one year later and used the same naked lyrical approach (and thoughtfully arranged musical approach) to tell the story of Ziemba's halting return to the world of love. His frank portrayal of himself and his fragile emotions is as impressive as before, and the grace and tenderness of the music is also impressive. He proves to be even more adept at matching music to mood, whether it's the bleak piano and loops of "The Hereafter," which opens the story on a haunting note, or the rollicking and simple melody of "Night of a Thousand Firsts," which ends the album on a hopeful, almost happy moment. Once again, on Admirations Ziemba manages to be confessional without being embarrassing, writes songs that will stick in your head, and tells a tale that will break your heart. Hopefully for his sake, the third album will tell the story of a happy love affair.