Jim Noir

Jim Noir's junkshop pop sound is a breezy amalgam of styles that range from the classic melodies of the Beatles to the plinky electronics of Kraftwerk with side trips into Library music, schoolyard funk, and the kind of novelty songs that filled the airwaves in the '70s. Written and recorded by Noir himself, his early songs were beloved by advertisers like Adidas and Target thanks to their simple, smile-inducing hooks. His 2006 album, Tower of Love, is a definitive slice of mid-decade anything-goes pop; everything he did after that follows a similar template, though 2014's Finnish Line explores guitar-heavy British Invasion territory and 2019's A.M. Jazz (and its corresponding EP 2021's Deep Blue View) brings some light techno, orchestral easy listening, and soft rock into the mix.