James M. LaRocque, or JML as the hip kids probably call him, dropped “All About Me”. It’s a classic rock single, which, you know, feels like showing up to a party dressed as a Roman gladiator when everyone else is in jeans. Not a bad thing, necessarily.
This isn’t about discovering some new profound meaning to life, that’s for sure. JML is firmly planted in the fertile, albeit slightly stinky, soil of self-absorption. The message? Egos can be hilarious, particularly if they’re not yours. It reminds me of that time I tried to assemble a bookshelf, ended up with an avant-garde sculpture instead, and blamed it on “interpretive building.” Ah, art. Anyway…
There’s a certain charm to this. A swaggering, slightly tipsy, kind of charm. It’s not a subtle thing; it’s the musical equivalent of shouting your name in a crowded marketplace with a bullhorn fashioned from a traffic cone. That specific traffic cone? The one from 1978 that sat on the corner of Elm and Maple. I’m not sure why I remembered that. Where was I? Right, JML. The guy can definitely play. It’s classic rock, polished, like your uncle’s best silverware, the one that gets trotted out only during major holidays… or, you know, ego celebrations.
“All About Me” is self-aware. I think. Or maybe I’m just projecting because my own ego needs something to latch onto. Either way, it’s a sonic smirk. Makes you wonder if maybe everyone has a little of this, “Look at ME,” lurking somewhere in their soul.
The tune finishes, leaving a strangely delicious aftertaste, like accidentally eating a slightly burnt marshmallow – unexpectedly enjoyable. What are we, really, if not just bundles of slightly ridiculous egos trying to make some sort of music?
