Dirt

Jim E. Brown returns on what appears to be his twelfth studio album. For a 19-year old with chronic alcoholism, that’s quite an impressive feat.

The Fattest Man(c) In The World

Jim E. Brown was born in Manchester on September 10th, 2001. One day before the infamous 9/11 attacks. Each day of his life seems to be worse than the last. Despite being born in 2001 yet aged 19, alongside looking like a middle-aged man, Brown rationalises this by labelling himself as “an obese alcoholic with several degenerative conditions”.

While the Didsbury native’s personal history is shrouded in an element of mystery, what can be ascertained is his musical talent. First appearing in 2021 with the release of his debut album, Jim E. Brown Sings His Love Songs, Brown has continued to pour his soul into his stoic art form. Brown’s catalogue of music appears endless, with each project becoming more relatable than the last. That is, if you’re suffering from an existential crisis, of course.

Brown’s odd yet strangely likeable demeanour has propelled his success, amassing over 250,000 followers on Instagram. With hits like “I’m Quitting Prozac to Continue Drinking“ from Shame to “The Queue at Greggs“ from his last release, I Urinated on a Butterfly, the excitement naturally built for his latest release. Dirt was released at the start of the summer and to say it stuck with me is quite the understatement.

Inner Child

The album opens with a new wave inspired electronic beat on “I Want to Get In Touch With My Inner Child“. Opening as candidly as always, Brown wears his struggles on his sleeve. “My anxiety and depression are overwhelming / I drink alcohol to ease the pain but it’s not helping” being his opening words, his defeated attitude serves as one of the strongest themes in the album. While the electronic beat adds intensity, so does Brown’s anxiety. Worried that this child no longer exists, he fears his inner child has been “Drowned in a sea of beer and wine”.

The clubland beat follows into the opening of “Ryan Adams Unfollowed Me on Instagram“ before transitioning into a fantastic new wave melody. The guitar work is fantastic here, something fellow Mancunian Johnny Marr would be proud of. Despite the anguish emanating from Brown, his vocals are blisteringly sweet in the chorus. While Ryan Adams may never recover from inflicting such torment on the gentle soul of this activist/artist/alcoholic, the silver lining exists in the form of Kurt Vile remaining loyal.

A slightly darker new wave style radiates throughout “I Have an Anxious-Avoidant Attachment Style“. The miserable delivery from Brown is true to character, as he navigates through his own mental issues. Declaring with slight dignity the results of an internet quiz, Brown champions his self diagnosis with utter triumph.

Pure Shit

Transitioning into a darkwave electronic beat, the instrumental of “She Said My Face Smelled of Butter“ is firmly set in Manchester. There is a sweetness to the lyrics, with Brown confessing his love to a failed conquest. The self-loathing is once again evident in the vocals, as Brown pitifully spills words from his butter-soaked mouth.

The darkwave elements continue into “I’m Not Perfect (I Am Pure Shit). The synths are incredibly cool here but are somewhat overshadowed by Brown’s self-loathing. A self-proclaimed alcoholic with gout, Brown declares “I look grotesque”. Singing with a sneer, the weariness can be heard easily from a man who is at war with himself.

“I Am the Fattest Person in the World“ takes a slight turn, with the introduction of jangly guitars. This ballad is more focused on the lyrics, with Brown engaging in another internal battle. Brown is doomed from the offset, advising “I try to practice self-love and such / But no one this fat could ever be loved”.

Worse Than A Rash

“I Want to Be Immobile“ plunges the album back into that darkwave sound that is heard so often throughout. The entire instrumental is so unsettling, with the robotic synths constantly overlapping, which results in a giant mass of sound. Brown yearns for a life of idleness, aching to be fed through a tube and being treated like the fat, disgusting mess he thinks he is.

The title track utilises more synths and an incredibly funky bassline that I absolutely adore. For the first time, possibly ever, Brown exhibits some level of self-esteem. With lines like “But I wish you wouldn’t treat me just like dirt / I wish that you would be empathetic”, one would imagine this is a turning point in his attitude. But this grotesque alcoholic doesn’t seem to have that desire in him unfortunately.

Another hilariously genius instrumental provides the backdrop of “Feed Me With a Funnel“. Beautiful guitars that slide up and down the scales create such a melancholic sound, it’s so bittersweet. Brown continues with his misery, this time lacking the energy to even chew. There is emotion in the vocals; that emotion being despair. While there is little depth to his lyrics in general, the iteration of “My throat is a tunnel / Which leads into my soul / Which is an empty hole”, really strikes me.

Garlic Mayo Cheesy Chips

The instrumentals of “I Received a Blowjob While Watching the Mr. Bean Christmas Special“ sound borrowed from Cocteau Twins. It’s quite amazing how good the instrumental can be while Brown accompanies it with disgusting imagery. The lyrics have me in creases, laughing at the vile image of “watching my semen spritz onto my belly”. Unfortunately, the more I listen to Jim E. Brown, the more I come to terms with how much of a genius he is.

“Rock Bottom“ opens with Brown declaring the song’s meaning. Naturally, in true character, this is about “the lowest point in a person’s life due to alcohol abuse”. The synths and canned drums interact with utter delight in another Manchester new wave style. Narrating the average day Brown endures, the vocals are brilliant. The hook is like an anthem and only has me imagining how cool this would be to see live, in a room teeming with people idolising an alcoholic 19-year old.

“I Wish I Didn’t Hate Myself“ begins as a spoken-word piece, about overspending on takeaway food before launching into an instrumental that sounds like an early take from The Cure. Once again, unfortunately the chorus is so catchy. It’s repetitive and absurd, but I love it.

This Was A No

The upbeat, dark anthems continue with “I’m Still in Love with My Dead Ex“. The synth-heavy melody is another new wave-inspired banger. After some deep research into the lyrics, I can deduce that Brown is declaring his love for his dead ex. It’s quite a sad topic, but Brown injects some energy into it with vocables.

“I Had a Psychotic Episode in a Brighton Travelodge After Meeting Grian From Fontaines D.C“ takes a completely different approach, almost embodying a jazz instrumental. Brown reminisces about a terrifying experience of mental collapse following a chance meeting with Grian Chatten. Lyrically, the blame for this incident points to the Fontaines D.C frontman, as Brown notes “He was nice and gave me free cider / But hours later I felt frightened in a way that I’ve never felt before”.

The album ends with another melancholic piece on “Someone Threw a Sausage Roll in My Face in Glasgow“. Again, the instrumentation is absolutely fantastic. The guitars are plucking at the heartstrings with their tone alone. Brown shrieks throughout the song about another painful event, in stark contrast with the instrumentals. While there was a grudge held, Brown believes the assailant may have simply been trying to throw it into his mouth.

Final Thoughts

If you have managed to make it this far, this review is to be taken with a pinch of salt, much like Brown himself. Jim E. Brown is a character and seems to never drop that charade. While comedy music is something I have never really enjoyed, I have a strange love for this man and this new album in particular. Other comical acts like Bo Burnham and Weird Al Yankovic act as cheap mockeries, while Brown is a genius in his own respect.

The quality of the production and instrumentals alone are enough for me to want to listen to this over and over again. With that, Brown has conceived an album that has its roots firmly in Manchester. The melodies are anything from new wave to post punk to outright “Madchester”. It’s something really special to be able to create wonderful instrumentals to essentially ruin them with disdainful vocals.

Brown himself isn’t a fantastic vocalist. Or at least pretends not to be. With a demeanour of disgust and reminding me of Eeyore in many ways, his character is personified in every single track. That being said, his vocal talents shine through. Like the hook in “Ryan Adams Unfollowed Me on Instagram“ or “Rock Bottom“ which both act as earworms for me. It’s unfortunate for Brown, as he has created something that is brilliant yet not to be taken seriously in any respect.

Well done, you fat, grotesque alcoholic.