Kalistan

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Thomas Jones' Visions of Dystopia hits Number 1
Pop Adjacent record is departure from Art Rock all together
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
December 1, 5717


Thomas Jones' "least Challenging" work to date is a response to fan challenges

In 5715, Thomas Jones was speaking to Sulari based KME musician Monica Núñez on her podcast, as an effort to get the small but dedicated KME audience introduced to his work. The Podcaster, who was live streaming the conversation, also read emails and comments from the livefeed on her show. One said "Thomas Jones sucks. He claims that he has no interest in popular music because it is lowest common denominator and meant to appeal to the masses rather than snobs like him. But he couldn't make a pop song if he was paid to do it." Jones, for his part laughed and said "Yes, well I have been called an elitist before." But Núñez took up the matter and followed up by asking him why he didn't make pop music.

He was slightly taken aback by the question and said he had number one singles and platinum certified albums. "Isn't this pop music, in a sense?" he asked, pointing out that millions of people have followed his career for more than a decade now, and have purchased his records and singles. "How much more popular do you want?" He asked rhetorically. But Núñez pushed back again and said his music wouldn't fit into the genre of pop music. "Oh," said Jones. "You mean dance music, like specifically R&B kind of dance music." Núñez said that yes and like KME or New Wave of RF or something like this.

So Jones took this as a challenge. "I think there is a feeling in Kalistan that if someone doesn't make pop music per se," said Jones, in a news conference this week when it was announced that his recent release from KMI, Visions of Dystopia hit Number 1 on the album charts and his second single "God and Man" was declared Number 1 on both the Pop and the Alternative Charts, "...like if they really do something different than what millions of quite frankly teenagers are told to do by massive and overwhelming marketing campaigns by the labels tell them to do, to buy what they are told that they want to buy, etc, that a person CAN'T do it well. My record is proof that even someone as completely disillusioned by the state of pop can indeed make pop music. And if I can do it, anyone can do it."

Despite massive sales of the record (since late August, the album has sold more than 3 million copies as new fans are rushing in, finally granted some access to a future Global Music Hall of Famer's work, critics are offering mixed Reviews. "Well, he took the bait," said columnist Barbara Jennings, "and in doing so, sacrificed some of his artistic integrity. Whatever Jones was doing, it was his, for him. It was him asking fans to come along on his journey, but this unfortunately feels like a detour." Carl Reynolds called Visions of Dystopia an "aptly named album. It is the album he would have made if the fascists had won the war. It is simultaneously the most accessible album of his entire career, and the least challenging album, musically, lyrically, and artistically. A real disappointment, coming off his Nordhaus phase."

Whatever the critics say, fan reaction is sharply dependent upon when the person you are asking started listening to his music. For older fans, reaction is definitely negative. "Sell out," "Paycheck," and "Disappointment" as some of the more regularly reactions from fans. "I have been with Jones since the beginning," said Donald Wallace of Kaliburg. "I am just beside myself about this record. It's like crap you will hear on the Top 40 station. I took my copy immediately to the thrift store. He lost a fan today." While others, like 15 year old Mickie Adams of Sulari said, "Man I haven't been this excited about a new album in a long time. He's so handsome, and his voice is like some classic voice. It's easily my favorite new music this year. I'm so glad that I got to discover him, finally, this year. My friends and I listen to Jones nonstop."

Jones has recently begun the "Modern Dance" tour to support the album, and will play across the entire Empire over the next three months. In April he expected to begin the International leg of the tour, travelling to Hutori, Luthori, Dundorf, Egelion, Lourenne, Valruzia, Lodamun, Gaduridos, and Mordusia. "I've never had the opportunity to play in Hutori before," said Jones, "and I am looking forward to doing that most of all. Their music culture is fantastic. I think I'm playing either five or seven shows there." He also noted that he is looking forward to getting back to Dundorf to visit friends and play some lower key venues, which will focus more on the music he wrote while in Dundorf from the Nordhaus period. "And Luthori, that will be a trip. I've never been there." He said the schedule for the international leg is pretty easy. "We have space in the itinerary for a lot of sightseeing, which is kind of something I have always wanted to do."

Though Jones will be on the road for about the next six months, this massive release is already leading to PR issues. "It would seem that a lot of folks want to interview me all of a sudden," he said. "It's kind of wild. My poor publicist is used to like maybe 10 or 15 fan letters a week. Now, last week, she got like 5500. There aren't enough hours to do all the interviews and talk to all these teen magazines. But we're learning how to say no now, instead of reflexively jumping in front of every camera even vaguely pointed in my general direction." The move to solid underground, mainstream adjacent music to finally break out megastardom is quite jarring for Jones and his small dedicated management team.

For better or worse, Thomas Jones has become a household name from this album. "No, my years and years of work are still there," he said. "I am not a pop singer. This record was made just to prove I could make it, nothing else. That people like it is no surprise. King Johnson (who has produced five other number 1 albums in as many years) produced it. It was contrived to be Number 1. And surprise, here it is." Asked if the rumors about a potential knighthood from the Empress were true, Jones laughed and said "I was asked, yes. I had to refuse it. Knighthood for what? I am not in this business for that kind of thing. She should give it to someone who actually has accomplished something real and permanent and meaningful. This is pop music. This is tripe."

Check out Thomas' Jones "God and Man" his recently minted Number 1 second single from his Number 1 Platinum Visions of Dystopia, out now on KMI, and check him out when his promotional tour comes to your town.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HivQqTtiHVw]

@KalistaniRawk Monthly