REVIEW: Paul Jacobs’ “Pictures, Movies & Apartments”

Paul Jacobs, Pictures, Movies & Apartments (independent)

One of the most visceral sounds in lo-fi garage rock returns with this 10th release by Montreal’s Paul Jacobs. The well-defined harsh sound he pulls out of his guitar lays the groundwork for his simple but clever pop-rock writing, a pair of skills that enhance each other greatly. The satisfying amount of hooks and fun riffs is only occasionally dragged down by the lack of much more than a verse chorus structure for most of the album. That said, it’s also balanced out by how sonically powerful the album is, and with an average run-time of three minutes or less, no song overstays its welcome. 8/10 Trial Track “Pics, Movs & Apts.”