3 out of 5

Label: trace / untrace

Produced by: Jens Moller

I don’t know if there’s been a more accurately named artist than bediquette, or at least a name that so easily evokes / suggests what you’re in for: one-person, lo-fi pop; softly crooned thoughts on relationships and life; with fuzzy guitar / keys plunked atop an electronic beat.

This kind of kindly, soft-spoken shtick is normally not my bag – think Postal Service, swapping the dancier leanings for found sound samples; Dave Fischoff is a closer, though more minimalist comparison – but bediquette (aka Jens Moller) leans more toward the scrappy side of that musical equation than twee, with raspy vocals and pleasant but winding compositions that avoid the big, easy sell in favor of something often more intimate and satisfying. Which isn’t to say there aren’t big moments, rather that is choiceful in their application, not trying to turn every line into the most poignant one, or every chorus into a singalong; they save up for when some live (sounding?) percussion and layered guitars make more impact; when the juxtaposition of the self help tapes often used as ambience and Moller’s self-deprecatory musings have more relative meaning.

Regarding the latter: these are also a differentiator. Yeah, there are themes of self-worth and love lost you’ve heard before, but the bediquette approach is comparatively ‘honest’ as compared to their weepy brethren: the introspection is perhaps cynical or downtrodden, but not depressed or beaten, while also avoiding chintzy offerings of hope. I’m Going to Let You Down paints a relatable, if isolated, picture of life, set to head-bobbing tunes.

Rewinding to the predictability of the name, though, pleasant is still the defining adjective, here: this version of this style of pop appeals moreso to me versus the early 00s Sub Pop shiny version, but bediquette’s singles-avoidant approach is rather exactly that – Moller achieves unique melodies for each track, just the effect is rather cumulative: an album of bedroom pop moods and sounds that, perhaps by choice, doesn’t stand out in a crowd unless you give it due attention.