Music Monday

Jay Reatard was a troubled garage rocker from Memphis, TN. He was in plenty of punk bands in his teenage years but grew up to craft some truly memorable abrasive pop songs as a solo artist. Last year he released his major indie label debut Watch Me Fall to much critical acclaim. Here is the video for “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” off that album.

Despite gaining some notoriety for his partying ways and abrasive demeanor Jay utilized recording as a way to exercise some of his personal demons and tell stories. This is what has drawn me to him so much as he makes everything he does sound effortless but invests so much passion and energy in the songs that they seem to explode into your ears. Sadly Jay Reatard was found dead in bed on January 13, 2010 from a toxic mix of cocaine and alcohol. He was only 29. It seems Jay’s casual dismissal of his personal health got the better of him and he succumbed to the toxic effects of these vices after a particularly nasty bout with the flu.