Jason Anderson, “First Light:” A Winter Album Infused With Summer Light

Image courtesy of Jason Anderson

By Caleb Lovell

“Do not go gentle into that good night,” declared Dylan Thomas in his iconic poem of the same name. 

“Gentle” is not a term I would use to accurately describe the music of Fredericton, New Brunswick singer-songwriter Jason Anderson. In any case, he does not hold anything back; his lyrical indie folk songs overflow with unbridled passion and energy. Whether performing solo sets for his online shows on Instagram, or meticulously crafting his latest full-length production, Anderson gives it his absolute all and puts his whole heart and soul into his work. 

I’ve had the pleasure of becoming friends with Jason after discovering his music on Bandcamp a couple years ago, and I was delighted when he agreed to let me interview him over the phone about his brand new album First Light, a work that bears a strikingly similar message to that of Thomas’ poem. 

Arriving ten days before Halloween, First Light is a record about hope, memory, and finding joy and inspiration in troubled times. 

“How do we keep moving forward and keep finding inspiration to be kind and hopeful and empathetic in a world that gives us so many examples of the opposite?”Anderson reflects. 

This question is an enduring theme that embodies the whole record.

First Light is not a typical “winter album,” despite its recurring thematic presence in the songs. In fact, the bright, vibrant soundscapes that make up the general sound of the record are perhaps more reminiscent of summertime. 

“The whole idea was thinking about that paradox,” said Anderson. 

These tracks capture some of the more poignant aspects of winter while somehow also harnessing all of its excitement and vivacity.  Perhaps one could say that the record is haunted by the same “summer ghosts” that are mentioned in the dreamy track “Looking Glass”.

Anderson gives much credit for the development of the record’s sonic template to his friend and producer Thomas Wincek, who Anderson says brought his vision to life. He pinpoints the term “exploded” to signify the way that Wincek helped transform the tracks that were once intimate coffeehouse jams into arena rock-like anthems. The two stumbled upon the direction of the album’s sound while comparing the production of Def Leppard and Joni Mitchell albums, envisioning a conceptual fusion of the two. A strange combo it may appear, perhaps the intrigued reader will hear its rationality when listening to the record. 

Some of the songs on the album, such as “Toll Booth” and “Halloween,” had already been stapled into Anderson’s catalog prior to its release. If anyone has listened to his music or seen his performances, they know that one of Jason Anderson’s defining characteristics as a music artist is rediscovering and reimagining his songs in new ways. 

When I first came across the demo of “Toll Booth” (the very first track I ever heard from Anderson), I had no idea that it was envisioned to be a part of this record, or even the fact that it was a demo. In that sense, these new, polished versions really make the whole experience come full circle. This “full-circle” quality is manifested quite literally on the final song “Halloween”, which culminates in what might be the most sublime moment on the entire record – one that I surely will not spoil for new listeners. 

Another interesting factoid about the album that Anderson surprised me with was that, despite the timing of the new album’s release in October of 2022, the record was all but complete before the initial COVID-19 surges. Nevertheless, there were certainly many aspects of this period that made their contribution to this record, one of the most critical being the virtual livestream sets that Anderson started on Instagram in 2020. 

What began as a single show to “provide connection and release,” as he puts it, has since bloomed into an outlet of immense communal catharsis. For being virtual, these shows can be quite magical, and I daresay even spiritual experiences – I would highly encourage readers to attend one and see for themselves.

Although the album itself was completed before the start of the pandemic, it feels like a culmination of all the love and light that has been generated around these shows that have happened since. In other words, the shows may have somehow impacted the record retrospectively, strangely enough. But perhaps it was meant to happen that way. Perhaps the album was meant to live in a post-pandemic world, where its optimistic themes are all the more relevant and all the more needed.
It is an honor to be able to write about someone of whom I’m lucky enough not only to be a fan but also a friend. His luminous new record First Light is an invitation to see and revere beauty in a world that often takes it for granted, and to “not go gently” into the lures of negativity that we all too often succumb to in our society. In times that are undeniably difficult and sometimes discouraging, Jason Anderson continues to make music that is hopeful and unafraid.