John York’s newest offering (and first solo album) is not what listeners have come to expect from him. In fact it is a complete and utter farce. The record, entitled The Court Jester is Not Amused, has somehow managed to creep into the top 30 of the UK charts, based on strong word of mouth. “Strong” is being used liberally here. People find it a complete and utter riot. This is not “good music” but instead a hodge-podge of self parody and outright goofiness.
The album is built around incredibly upbeat, cotton candy pop songs
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However, lyrically, the songs differ very much. Imagine if David Bowie’s “The Laughing Gnome” had been about genocide or a terminal illness instead of laughing gnome’s. Getting the idea? York covers much of his darkest material yet on this album; misanthropy, paralysis, a desire to eat human flesh, and more. All while singing phony, happy pop songs. Whether York is striving for some sort of political point, or simply forcing us all to indulge in his dark humor is unknown. There is also an instrumental track of light elevator music, accompanied by demonic screaming. On another instrumental track, York reads a poem about heroin addiction while addiction, while a stuffy, syrupy, string section plays in the background, along with old fashioned operatic vocals. Apparently he’s trying to taunt your Grandma. He also reverses this affect on one track, which is built around a gloomy pipe organ part, but accompanied by the sound of a little girl laughing happily.
York’s pop parody isn’t just limited to dark humor. He performs a track called “A Shitty Pop Song” which is built around incredibly simple drum beats, and piano/guitar riffs, in addition to relaxing, ambient strings. York’s voice is auto tuned to an obnoxious level. The lyrics are a nonsensical, incredibly stupid description of “partying” and “good times”. York also performs parody covers on the album. He snarls Oasis’ “Wonderwall” in a sneering impression of Liam Gallagher’s voice, and includes new, silly lyrics, in addition to references to rival band Blur. He also “covers” The Beatles “Something” which ends up just being a cover of Pavement’s cover of the song.
York also performs spoken word covers of popular pop songs (think a British William Shatner) in a melodramatic, but formal and Shakespearean tone. You will never think of “California Gurls”, “I’ve Got a Feeling” or Rebecca Black’s “Friday” the same way again, we promise you. On the second to last track, York thanks everyone for listening to his “Symphony for the modern age” in a serious, pretentious tone, as a formal string piece plays. Afterward, we hear the album’s grand finale, and title track. “The Court Jester is Not Amused” is performed in a basic Rock’N’Roll arrangement, but the bass player is completely without rhythm, while York’s guitar is badly out of tune. The song is sung by a boy who’s voice has just broken. The lyrics are pseudo-philosophical nonsense (i.e I Am the Walrus.) When the song concludes, loud cheering and applause can be heard for 20 minutes, with York saying, “Thank you, thank you everyone” intermittedly. The album then concludes.
The response from the mainstream press has been downright hostile. Many believe the album itself is disgusting for dealing with so many serious lyrical issues in a light context, and there are now calls for censorship among British family values groups since it has become mildly popular. Others find it indulgent and pretentious, and wish York would “find something better to do.” However, Pitchfork Media gave the record a 9.4 out of ten, and called it a “brilliant reflection of our times” and said that York was “a man driven past his breaking point; now he just wants to burn everything around him. Consider this your new existential crisis music.” John says he’s just having fun and wishes people wouldn’t be so stuffy.
