track of the week//introducing ~ 'ruth' ~ michael cera

Name: Michael Cera
Genre: Love-Folk
For Fans Of: Neutral Milk Hotel, Michael Cera Movies 
Location: Ontario, Canada 
Facebook//Twitter ~ N/A

We all love Michael Cera. Hollywood's most charming nerd has been mumbling, stumbling and awkwardly excusing himself into people's hearts for years now; but did you know he released a self funded album last year? Better still, did you know that it was actually pretty good?

The awesomely titled 'true that' came, quite literally, out of nowhere. Completely un-promoted by Cera himself, his debut release was seemingly happy to float endlessly throughout cyber space, until someone realised that the random melodic art-folk record uploaded to Bandcamp was actually made by the man himself, and not just a band calling themselves 'Michael Cera'. 

'True That' is a hazy mix of ambient soundscapes and quite haunting acoustic songs; Cera's voice at times echoing My Morning Jacket's Jim James, the log cabin isolation of Bon Ivor, or even Kurt Vile's earlier work. 

Whilst we all assumed (or perhaps, just really hoped) that Cera could play guitar like Scott Pilgrim and wrote songs about girls way out of his league in his spare time, few could have imagined the emotional or artistic depths 'True That' delves into. 'Ruth' is one of the more simplistic pieces on the record, but remains a firm favorite, Cera's depictions of a woman just too tired to help even herself, both touching and maudlin. Lyrically too, Cera never once comes close to the cinematic 'happy ending' he's no doubt been asked to perform in hundreds of times.

"Where once had blossomed a bouquet,  

Now all but wilting like a leaf,

In the ruthless light of day"

'True That' is an album to listen to over a bottle of wine and a fine, leather bound book.

We salute you Michael Cera. Giver of music, friend of animals & cactus alike, and all around good guy.

Taylor Johnson