Jason Falkner presents Author Unknown
One of the most unexpectedly brilliant gems of the 90’s was Jellyfish, the short-lived prophets of power-pop who broke up not long after releasing their 1992 album, the nothing-short-of-astounding Spilt Milk. Jellyfish seemed to draw inspiration from the Beatles, ELO, Queen, and almost every other landmark pop act of the past 30 years all at once. And now we can hear the person who is perhaps least credited for that sound – Jellyfish alumnus Jason Falkner. In his self-performed and self-produced debut album, Falkner proves that he is more than capable of matching Jellyfish’s best efforts on his own. The album kicks off strongly with “I Live”, a song which immediately calls up instinctive memories of Argent’s “Hold Your Head High”. My note of the similarity is a compliment, not an accusation of plagarism – the rock-anthem tone is what the two songs share. Other standouts are “Don’t Show Me Heaven”, which starts out deceptively with cheesy synthesizers and drum machines which smoothly segue into another rock anthem; the Clapton-esque “Afraid Himself To Be”, and the final track, “Untitled”, which is possibly the best 
thing on the entire album. If you don’t get a chill from hearing Falkner pull off an acoustic-going-orchestral number, sounding like he’s channeling the Beatles and Jeff Lynne at the same time, you need to listen again, and maybe once more after that. It’s the perfect hook for the album’s end – offering the best hint that Jason Falkner has a great deal more to offer us in the future. Maybe Jellyfish isn’t dead after all.
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- I Live (3:11)
- Miracle Medicine (3:27)
- Hectified (2:44)
- Don’t Show Me Heaven (4:15)
- She Goes To Bed (4:17)
- Nobody Knows (4:06)
- Follow Me (4:08)
- Before My Heart Attacks (3:43)
- Afraid Himself To Be (3:41)
- Miss Understanding (2:59)
- I Go Astray (3:50)
- Untitled (4:01)
Released by: Elektra
Release date: 1996
Total running time: 44:24