Jim Laczkowski delivers the kind of honeyed melancholy that stings, even when the bitterness is abstracted from the bitter-sweet dichotomy. The Chicago-based musician, writer, filmmaker and librarian has spent two decades recording and self-producing original songs for records and film soundtracks, and by moonlight, from his new album Hold On, is locked and loaded to disarm through grace.
Lyrically, the single drifts into a nocturnal take on You Are My Sunshine, followed by Neutral Milk Hotel-esque indie-folk experimentation to close out the accordant, rich and intimately eccentric performance. It is the ultimate indie lullaby for lovers who know the true beauty in connection lies in the simplest of moments; the moments that feel as tender as the timbres and harmonies in by moonlight.
Laczkowski’s voice carries the softer, more melodic side of R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, but his artistic world is also shaped by film, literature and the kind of cultural devotion that led him to host Director’s Club, write about John Darnielle and compile Wilco covers to benefit Chicago venues. That wider creative life comes into focus with by moonlight, which feels curated by someone who understands memory as sound, image and feeling. With its Jeff Buckley-adjacent sensitivity and homespun glow, the single settles straight into the chest.
by moonlight is now available to stream on all major platforms. Support the artist by purchasing the single on Bandcamp.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
