Oncle Jazz

I love the little 'You're listening to Oncle Jazz' that gets you ready to settle in and wow, Norton Commander, what a track. The smoothness keeps going with a little breather at track 13, Fiero GT, 'You're listening to Radio Men I Trust' and finishing with the surprisingly even more gentle Poplar Tree. Delicious, I'll be back for more.

I see the gushing reviews for some of these user picks and I’m like ⁉️. This is yet another one that didn’t engage me, not even in a wash over me while I’m doing something else way. I’m going to damn with faint praise by saying it was ok

Mõnus chill

I <3 Men I Trust. Listen to their other stuff too, lots of goodies to be heard.

Favorite Track: Show Me How (Album V)

Album #59 (1001 challenge extended): "Oncle Jazz" by Men I Trust (2019) "Oncle Jazz" is the third studio album by Canadian indie band Men I Trust. Indie pop, dream pop and electropop are the Wiki-listed genres. Bandmembers included Emmanuelle "Emma" Proulx (lead vocals, guitars), Jessy Caron (guitars, bass) and Dragos Chiriac (keyboards). The album was longlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize (best full-length Canadian album). The album opens with mostly instrumental "Oncle Jazz." Guitar and synth melodies and electronic beats. Dreamy and uplifting. "Norton Command" continues the electronic beats. A wavering synth, looping bass and high-pitched guitar notes. Proulx with whispering vocals repeating "all we need is each other." More of the dreamy. "Say You Here" is a song I've heard before as it was on heavy rotation on Sirius XMU. A melodic thumping bass and echoing guitar notes. She's looking for a change. A dreamy/new wave fusion. "Seven" has 70's-sounding soft rock guitar. It's slower with a plodding bass. More of the dreamy vocals. Actually, maybe the most dreamy. An Eagles-like guitar solo too. Initially, I thought I was listening to a cover of Player's "Baby Come Back" with that seven-note guitar lick in "You Deserve This." Dreamy, swirling guitars. Oh, so 70's soft rock sounding. Mostly chill and dreamy with wavering synths, high-pitched guitar riffs and a prominent bass. Proulx with whispering vocals and lyrics mostly about relationships, trying to connect or change. There's a heavy 70's pop-soft rock vibe especially in the second half of the album. There a few songs with more of a darker post-punk/new wave guitar tone which kept things interesting. There is also nice production and sound in general. Overall, I liked this album. It did have repetitive areas of too many similar-sounding dreamy songs and with 24 songs at 70 minutes, it dragged a bit. But, it was worth a listen and if you're into dreamy and/or 70's soft rock, I recommend it. 3 out of 5

Reading the other reviews, I was curious to check out the submitter's profile. And... yikes. I get that people are entitled to their own opinions of course, but this is pretty close-minded. Why even bother if you're not that into most music? Surprisingly, there are some good takes in there and Men I Trust is a great submission. I honestly think that if the submitter took some time to really listen to the rest of the list, they'd find a lot of other stuff they like. But maybe not. Anyway, that's not the point of this review. I glad to see Men I Trust on here as they've been a great band to watch over the last decade and arguably could have had a place in the book. Their uneasy brand of dream pop feels really unique and isolated from the rest of the world. My only complaint is that the album is too long. 24 tracks of mostly very similar songs gets a bit dull by the end. The band could benefit from trying about how to craft an album as a complete idea. That slight edge could have put them up to 5 stars in my mind, but it's still pretty good.

Highlight: Numb, I Hope to Be Around, Slap Pie I like these guys, with modern take on shoegaze with a really interesting singer. I like the little incidental songs too like -Fiero GT I was familiar with the odd couple of songs but had never listened to a full album.

Oncle Jazz scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. While the album isn’t shoegaze, it touches the shoegaze genre when I don’t like shoegaze. Its dreamy style was hypnotic and beautiful. The light jazz element hit just right. Listening multiple times was so easy. You could say maybe the songs sounded too alike, but I didn’t care. I loved this album! I was reminded of the Portishead album on the original list but not as morose. Dummy is considered trip hop, of which Oncle Jazz is not, but both have a dreamy pop feel, I swear!

I typically like lo-fi, beat-heavy, dream pop like this for the vibe. But that's just it: I really only like it for the vibe, and I don't find it really substantially hooking me (I will say that "Slap Pie" had a heavier, funkier beat and that was a bit more of a hook than most songs on here). Also, after a few songs, it started sounding quite redundant, which isn't good for a 1+ hour long album. This probably lands at about a 2.5 for me, but definitely isn't 3 territory.

Happy sunny tunes are perfect for today! Enjoyed this! Thanks!

Pretty nice chill pop album

Enjoyed how soft this was, but the lack of backbone really made it drag.

Pretty but sleepy

Though it is probably longer than it needs to be (remove the instrumentals), this was such an enjoyable album to listen to for the first time and I will most assuredly enjoy listening again in the future. The range is not only vast, but also surprising in the direction they chose to go with their range. Good stuff, good pick. 4/5

bit of a snoozefest

I really enjoyed this. But seriously, wtf is up with the submitters ratings? Seems like they hate music but somehow still got through this whole project lol.

Soft spongey music so bland I couldn’t tell nor care if it was jazz or indie. It was just bland and spongey.

noncle! #DNF

I’ve never heard of Men I Trust before, but after looking at some of the reviews for this album, I decided that I needed to go take a look at the submitter’s profile, and… yikes. I’d spend some time commenting on that, but there’s no sense in beating a dead horse. This user’s taste in music clashes pretty heavily with mine, so I don’t have high hopes that I’ll enjoy this album, but maybe this will be the one thing I’ll agree with them on. I wasn’t wowed by this album, but it was pretty good. My biggest complaint with Oncle Jazz is that it didn’t make it worth my time to spend an hour and ten minutes listening to this. Sure, the melodies and vocals were nice, and the vocals were soothing, but this album didn’t really do anything particularly interesting in my opinion. For something that sounded so dreamy, Oncle Jazz didn’t manage to craft anything that I felt pulled on me emotionally, or made me feel a strong sense of place. And maybe that wasn’t their goal, but it’s something I personally enjoy in a softer pop record. There were some songs that did stand out to me though: “Tailwhip” was great, because the solid beat really added a lot to the overall soft sound. The melody unfolded beautifully, and it was a wonderfully paced song with so many wonderful elements to take in. “Say Can You Hear” was really good. I liked that shimmery quality to the guitar. The drumming was great here too; It’s a simple rhythm, but it’s really effective. I also like it when the drumming drops out, it makes me miss it. This song reminds me of The War on Drugs in a sense, which is a high compliment. I liked the vibe of “All Night.” It had a 90’s soft rock sound to the vocals that created a fun sense of nostalgia for me. While this album wasn’t really my speed, I thought it was fine, but it’s not something I could see myself returning to.

This is a joke right? There's no way someone submitted this. Literal elevator music meant to be in the background. There's nothing here! And why is there 71 minutes of it?! It's literally the same song for over an hour.

10/10 - big fan of this album, I’ve heard it several times before and it gets better with every listen :)

I really enjoy Men I Trust in small doses, but unfortunately this album runs way too long. 6/10

This was fun, but not particularly impactful.

Vähän yksipuolinen mutta mukiinmenevä indie-levy.

Chill, but unnecessary

Don't you hate it when the person with the worst opinions likes something you like?

A solid and pleasant album, but 71 minutes is too long.

Borde såga plattan egentligen då pöbeln som nominerat detta album har totalsågat det mesta som finns på denna lista. Världens största artister och album har hamnat i papperskorgen. Nu har jag ett mer öppet sinne en den personen så albumet får trots allt en tvåa.

Ergh I am just not a big jazz fan and that is the truth. Of course I recognize the importance and significance and everything but it’s completely personal that I just will always be meh.

I'd unfortunately never heard of them - this is uniquely weird in an accessible way. Those swirly seasick sounds can go either way (I never particularly loved the MBV version...) but the chill ambient dark lounge-jazz vibes this gives off is perfect. Of particular note is the bass <chef's kiss> - love the way it propels the album overall - but each instrument is so creative and never overplayed, but offers just enough in each song to colour everything. Only criticism: it's far too long. I'm a big fan of keeping albums under 50 minutes - maybe a relic of/from the vinyl era but it's scientifically proven* that the right length of an album is around 45 minutes, +/- 3. Great addition, I'll definitely be seeking others from their catalog - merci boucoup! *science still awaiting verification 8/10 4 stars IMO: Belonged in the book? Yes.

Just and overall relaxing and pleasant album that didn't feel dull while I was listening to. The vocal harmonies do a lot to pull this all together 4/5

Wow, this is what other people listen to. 110 milion listens in Spotify. I've never heard of them but it's quite interesting and pleasant to listen to and chill. Very short bite sized chunks- quirky pop.

Nothing outstanding but pleasant enough as background music.

Canadian dream pop/indie from Montreal. I'm happy to see all the representation Canadian artists are getting on the recommendation list. Even though this genre isn't really in my wheelhouse, it's nice to see. Favorite songs: Say Can You Hear, Tailwhip, Slap Pie, All Night Least favorite songs: Dorian 2/5

Cool, new age coffee house jazz. I love the vibe and the vocals. It's very easy to listen to and enjoy. It's not truly amazing, but it's very good. 4.

It was jazz. This was never gonna land well with me.

I enjoy this band a lot and this album is certainly one of if not their best. I don't think it's really anything groundbreaking or anything though.

This album is pure dreamy bedroom indie pop, and it's also super long. It's good for sure, but not really my thing, and it drags on a bit too long.

This was decent

It’s ok, nice vibe singer has a good voice but didnt inspire me to check out more of their work or re listen

Indie pop, dream pop, electropop. Tostonazo. Un 2.

Dream pop, electropop. Un poco rollo.

Gossamer light but very listenable. One digs the mellow, woozy vibes right out of the gate. One finds oneself increasingly drawn to chill pop (though maybe one means pop chill). Will keep listening to this lot, for sure.

This is probably a two actually but I’m honestly tired of ppl making me listen to garbage. I can’t imagine being able to pick any album in the world to share with my fellow humans and picking this bland nothingness. I kept forgetting there was even music playing. This may be the most boring album ever.

This album is a vibe as they say. I love the self released indie stuff because it leads to more creative art. I personally considered adding Headroom. Regardless, Men I Trust is a band deserving of being heard.

July 12, 2025 HL: “Found Me”, “Dorian”, “Porcelain”, “You Deserve This”, “Tailwhip”, “Show Me How” Made it to a hundred of *our* albums today! Another piece of CanCon I’m unfamiliar with (besides the name). Starting to doubt my expertise with my country’s music. This is maybe a sad bar to meet, considering how little time I generally spend on each album, but I couldn’t move on to the next one until I had heard these 24 songs at least twice. And here I was doubting their ability to make a dreamy-jazz-pop album that long consistently enjoyable! Admittedly we didn’t need “Tailwhip” twice, and a few songs hardly establish themselves before the next one floats in, but when the overall experience is akin to a warm blanket (in outer space), I suppose I can let it slide. A very pleasant surprise

Cool easy indie jazz fusion. Pines is a nice song. The whole album stays in this dreamlike easy downbeat indie space sonically, so if you are up for it; it delivers for 70ish minutes

"Pretty and perfectly nice" she says, faintly.

I liked this a lot more than I thought i would. Vibes of Beach House and Steely Dan. Chilled though overlong.

Wasn't sure about this at first, but it grew on me and I ended up really enjoying it. Good shout.

This band has popped up on my Spotify algorithm from time to time. I haven’t explored them much before this. For some reason I thought I was going to be hearing something more pinkish in style. Don’t know why I had that expectation. That is very far from what the album delivers. It was an enjoyable record but hasn’t grabbed me to dive any deeper into their catalogue.

Good heavens, yet another Montreal act in the user suggestions. Astonishing! This is an enjoyable-ish puff piece that bumbles away in the background, never really filling the space it takes up. It skirts on the boundaries of jazz and ambient from the ambient side. It's OK - but I'm not feeling like I need to investigate further.

Whilst somewhat on the longer side, it is nice sit down and immerse oneself in the soft tones

I enjoyed the vibe of this and was into it at first but by the end it was all entirely the same really. No differentiation between one song and the next. Disappointing as I did like it

I liked this a lot, reminded me of Khruangbin. Was a bit samey overall but I did enjoy it. Great to have on while reading or just chilling.

Listened to this twice and… I genuinely have nothing to say. It’s 70+ minutes of dreamy, lo-fi indie pop that’s all vibe and no spine. It’s pleasant enough, and I know that's the vibe they're going for, but the whole thing feels like sonic wallpaper. I get the aesthetic, but I need something to hold on to. Even the better tracks ("Tailwhip", "Show Me How") barely ripple the surface.

Really nice

More cafe jazz than indie for me

This was just lovely. A+. I think this is not actually shoegaze but it's what I feel like shoegaze *should* be trying to sound like

A warm blanket of an album. Men I Trust takes a page out of Cocteau Twins book and melds it with the slick riffs of jazz guitar. Lush, dreamy songs with subdued vocals and rich production all around. This is a master class in taking a small sound and making the most of it. My god, what an album. Consistently pretty, locked in a groove, song after song. Does it run a little long? Sure, but I can easily forgive that for how sweet it sounds the entire time. We're lucky to have an album like this. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Maybe. Men I Trust are excellent in their niche of dreamy bedroom pop but it lacks a wider level of influence, so I hesitate to think they'd be a good for the list.

Melancholy electro-pop dream buzz. It’s got swing and soul but it unfortunately also has drone. Still, I would have never heard of it had it not been recommended. A fun go-round.

It's very nice. Just not overly exciting. Felt a bit like an Air album, which was nice. Might fall in love with it if I used it for afters one night?

Oncle Jazz is a bit dull and one speed for my liking. Soothing in places, mostly boring though, 2.

So... This is what the ultimate edgelord user in this generator submits after shitting on the Beatles, The Clash, Pixies, The Velvet Underground, Bowie, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Elliott Smith, Radiohead and so on... ? Let me have a good LAUGH! Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Looks like this user actually likes Blur, Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest or Haley Heynderickx, so I'm able to personally and subjectively assess they can have a set of functioning ears once in a while. But personal preferences are beside the point. The point is: why using this generator if you hate *most* music anyway? Is it like a self-harm kink of sorts? I really, really don't get it. There's also a different theory to explain that 1.89 global score : even though said user is the fifth one who went through tall the 1001 albums of the original list, I wouldn't be surprised if they actually didn't listen to a very large part of those records and just went to their comfort zone and gave 5/5 marks to the only LPs they already knew in the list. If that's the case, that's akin to cheating for me. And it would also explain why said user only very rarely left a review. Which raises the most important question: why should I put in an effort and listen to Men I Trust if really that user didn't put an effort as well (or gives such impression)? The irony of the band's name in that situation is borderline hilarious. I simply refuse to *trust* the taste or supposed "better judgment" of that person. I did listen to parts of *Oncle Jazz* however. I can't blame Men I Trust for having such a weird fan. For me, it sounds like bland, inoffensive muzak, which got the "indie" tag only because they're technically "independent" indeed, even if they have nothing to do the music usually associated with that tag. It wouldn't be much of a problem if you didn't sound like a second-rate version of Chromatics or a third-rate version of Beach House. The thing is, this record does sound *exactly* like this. The end of "Days Go By" was OK, I guess. But not much stands out in the rest of those songs, and I very quickly lost interest after that. Interestingly, none of those songs (except from the one-minute instrumental introduction) is among the ten most played or "hot" tracks on Spotify. A sure sign that most of the people who did listen to this record in 2019 have quickly forgotten about it since. Polaris prize long list nominee or not, you wouldn't have me believe that such insignificant fodder for "chill playlists" has generated enough sufficient physical sales to have enough hardcore fans listen to this on vinyl or CD instead. 1.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 2. Mostly because I don't want to be considered as an edgelord myself. Call me charitable here. 6.5/10 for more general purposes (5 for musical competency and production values + 1.5 for the artistry). Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 5 Albums from the users list I *might* include in mine later on: 9 Albums from the users list I won't include in mine: 13 (including this one)

71 minutes of bedroom pop. kms

This right here is the reason why everyone loves Canada. Greetings from London.

As a connoisseur of silly creatures, I have to begin by saying that I am a big fan of the silly creature on the album cover. Whoa, this is awesome. It's like zoomer sophisti-pop. Very reminiscent of, and I also imagine, very inspired by various video game soundtracks such as the "Earthbound-like indie RPG scene" and Persona. Maybe it doesn't flow the best and should have probably been like 20 minutes shorter, but I was fully in the zone. Strong 4/5, maybe even a 5/5. Depends how I'm feeling tomorrow. Update: Alright fine. It's a 5/5. This is an immaculate vibe. Also remembered I am legally not allowed to complain about album lengths after submitting the Cardiacs album.

Smooth and lovely, but also so very very long...

It appears to me that Montreal got short shrift on the original 1001 list, as users have suggested several interesting selections that I think provide something interesting. This is another one of those. The music is like easy listening for the 21st century. To you that might be a negative, to me that’s a compliment! It’s really enjoyable and at first I thought I’d tire of the style but I listened to this twice today without batting an eye!

Really nice.

Another long ass album. What's with these submissions? Anyway at least each song is short. This is the perfect album that just fades into the background. Beyond that, it's nothing super special. But it faded into the background for me while I was doing something and I enjoyed what I was hearing. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Nah. Not really breaking any moulds.

Smooth. Jazzy. Modern. Indie. Tremendous.

I almost get this as a slower, softer, more subtle version of the Bee Gees. Numb especially sounds like How Deep Is Your Love. I hope I'm not spawning a copyright fight. I almost feel zenlike after this. Maybe I'll listen to some Enya now.

Interesting soft electro/synth pop vibe. It all is pretty mellow and feels a bit directionless. For me, Tailwhip, Found Me and Pines show the potential of something with a little more tempo or melody to engage with.

Just really boring music.

I liked this nice a chilled indie album, maybe jsut a bit chilled for me to ever remember it, but time will tell, a 3 for now.

The main thing I take away from this is, "vibes". That's a little dismissive, because it's more than vibes. But at the same time, it's not. There's a really, really cool blend here of things like EDM (a la Deadmau5), 90s R&B, yacht rock... But it all gets put under a strong layer of reverb and gloss. I'm conflicted with this one, because while I enjoyed it, I wouldn't say I had a lot of strong memories about it. I liked it, but I didn't. It's like being dragged into an H&M but finding a cool shirt, in your size, on sale. Does that make sense? Favorite tracks: "Tailwhip", "You Deserve This"

This was a really good album, lots of ethereal tracks and others that were super short but packed a punch. I still can’t quite place who they remind me of. Hints of Thundercat and Kurangbin.

Okay, now we're talking, something fresh! I've heard of this group, and I'm familiar with two songs on here ("Seven" and "Show Me How") because my wife is a fan. I had an idea of what to expect and got just that: some very chill indie pop. A dreamy quality to it all, and the vocals are very soft to the point of being barely there. It works to great effect. Also the radio-themed interludes are refreshing, "Fiero GT" was a wild surprise. More of that would have been incredible. Anyway, this is a great album, I really dig it. A bit long, but given the style it's not bothersome in any way. Glad I listened before I died. Favorite tracks: Fiero GT, Oncle Jazz, Days Go By, Found Me, Say Can You Hear, Pines, Seven, Show Me How, Pierre, Poodle of Mud, Tailwhip Revisited. Album art: Goofy drawing of a creature, not sure if this was actually made by a toddler or just made to look like that. Either way, it's obviously striking as a result. Very simple, very silly. Can't perceive any connection between it and the music though. 4/5

Zzz

Interesting modern jazz

Super chilled Canadian indie with electro elements. Like a more ambient Generation Z St Etienne. Rating: 3.5 Playlist track: Oncle Jazz Date listened: 14/11/24

Indie pop, dream pop, electropop. Tostonazo. Un 2.

Very good background music for work

Easy, lazy dream pop and jazz. This makes it a bit boring after a while.

I thought about not listening to this and just giving it a one after looking at this user's project. I'm not saying everyone has to like all the same kinds of music but I genuinely don't get how someone can hate all of that. If you told me that this user thought a one was the highest rating ("We're number one!") I'd believe you. I think it's equally possible that this user just has really weird, very specific taste or that this user is a troll, which if the latter is the case, then I've played right into their hands. Also, I was under the impression that user-submitted albums were required to have a Wikipedia page. Anyway this is clearly better than anything by The Beatles, Radiohead, Miles Davis, The Pixies, Dolly Parton, Primal Scream, The Smiths, Stevie Wonder or Wilco. 3 Stars.

I can’t stop looking at this album artwork. I can’t explain the intense complexity of my thoughts while staring at this incredibly simplistic illustration. It’s so understated and basic, and fucking weird! It’s compelling in a way that is consuming. I’m also pleasantly surprised to see that this is a Canadian band! It’s a fun poppy romp that makes me feel great pride in my country. Digging it!

It’s weird to get an album that I’ve never heard before yet feel very familiar with. Men I trust is all over the bedroom pop playlists that I use to relax, study, and/or sleep so I’ve never actually listened to them as an artist until now. Honestly I think they work better as a part of a genre playlist because while I love bedroom pop like this, this was overlong and got slightly monotonous in a way that a playlist doesn’t. Still enjoyed it all the way through but was kinda impossible to stay actively listening the whole time. Also congrats to the submitter for being a generational music hater. Spent 3 years listening to 1089 albums they apparently hated except like 20 of them. I need to look at submitter projects more often.

Mjög næs rólyndisstemning.

This wasn’t much of a jazz album so whatever oncle is that had a big impact on the sound. The singer was very chill and soft which made it easy to listen to but the songs blended together and before I knew it I was halfway through my second listen. The instrumentals weren’t anything spectacular just chill to match. Overall it wasn’t bad but for me I doubt I’d revisit it as it isn’t the kind of chill I like to chill to. 5.5/10

This was a great album to get on a late August day. It's like the music is melting. Lovely sound, with strategically placed moments of distortion that keep it from getting too sweet. This is also way too long for what it is. I lost interest well before it was over, but there's a lot to like here. Fave Songs: Found Me, Pines, You Deserve This, Norton Commander, All Night

bit boring to be honest

Nice

Kept me good company through a late night at work

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Tailwhip, Found me, Numb, I hope to be around, Show me how

This was a great album from a band I’ve never heard of. The mix of dream pop, jazz, disco, and synth pop worked super well. The chord progressions were complex and thoughtful as well. Overall, a great synthesis of genre.

how did this album make this list. its DULL & lifeless

It's nice. I enjoy it, not going to say it's great, but it's great to listen to while studying or working. 3.5

It's, what, fine? Although it's a lot of background my music if we're being honest. Actually, no, it's not fine. Whoever selected this album branded damn near half the albums on this list with 1 ratings. Maybe more than half. And THIS is the hill they're willing to die on?