Gentleman Jesse - “Where Time Stands Still”/”Return of the Mack” (Drunk Dial)

Unlike snooty major labels and high-powered management firms, indie label Drunk Dial encourages its artists to write and record while wasted. (Guess the DD folks are fans of Drunk History). Garage pop auteur Gentleman Jesse is the latest volunteer/victim, and follows the usual rules: a new song, a cover, and lots of alcohol. The results are “Where Time Stands Still,” a briskly strummed, loosely performed jangle rocker that suffers only from some off-key singing here and there. The sloppy cover of Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack,” on the other hand, sounds like a joke taken one step too far. Admittedly, one’s tolerance of the concept itself may vary – it probably depends on whether or not you found the Replacements most charming when they could barely stand up on stage – but Jesse’s talent comes out on top, if only barely.