Men of Musical Genius Monday: Jon Brion

Jon Brion is THAT guy. The guy who you've never heard of, yet probably has had more influence on your listening habits than you could ever imagine.

Let me give you the rundown:

If you've seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I Heart Huckabees, Punch Drunk Love, or Magnolia, you've heard Jon Brion.

If you've heard any of Aimee Mann's work, you've heard Jon Brion

If you've heard Rufus Wainwright's debut album, you've heard Jon Brion

If you've heard Fiona Apple's "Extraordinary Machine", you've heard Jon Brion (or at least some lingering influence of his- It's complicated)

Hell, If you've heard the new Kanye West album, you've heard Jon Brion

Yes, Brion is a composer/producer extraordinaire. However, he can also churn out a damn good pop song- no, a perfect pop song. He's given a few small insights into his own musical abilities via the soundtracks to his movies (a lot of the time they were bonuses not even included in the film, but so fitting you couldn't even tell), but aside from that he's made one lone album that's near impossible to find. Naturally, I just had to track it down, and I was not disappointed. Jon Brion manages to be devastatingly intelligent, introspective, and vulnerable all at once- in short, its exactly the kind of music I wish I could write. It seems almost cruel that such a genius has such a limited catalog (there's persistent rumors of a second album, but I'm guessing the money is better producing and composing), yet at the same time the indie snob in me smiles to know something this good can still be kept a secret.

Jon Brion- Knock Yourself Out (from I Heart Huckabees)
Jon Brion- Gotta Start Somewhere (from Meaningless)