This is too naive to be proper IDM, and yet too inspired to be called muzak. Just what the hell is Disorganized Fun? Well, to start, it is the newest and sophomore album from Ronald Jenkees. That name has been on the headers for ridiculously popular Youtube vids, each chronicling the (charmingly impressive) synth exploits of the man himself. That man is the eccentric who greets every viral link with a ritualistic down south “HEYLO YEWTUBES”.  The bespectacled jester certainly commands a following, from his very disposition to his lofty self promotion. He is… likable, seemingly having fun for the sake of having fun. People dig that, I am no different. From the impassioned motion his shoulders make when multifariously gracing his keys like harp strings, to the stellar ability displayed, it was only natural that the video tunes should make their way into your iPod. Disorganized Fun, for all the extracurricular pop culture permeating it, is peripheral music.

Yes, peripheral music. Music for backgrounds, for when credits roll, for bars with mahogany countertops… It holds many purposes, and is inspired, but is very far removed from the singular listening experience. Foremost, Jenkees’ collected tracks are jams; his evolving background in theory is given its due exposure here. A plethora of smooth synth washes and a keyboarding promenade hold to steadfast melodies and thump with declawed break beats. It is a cacophony of fake instruments, but a well-manufactured one. This zoo is alive, even graciously delightful with all the thousand working parts.  Internet-favourite “Stay Crunchy” centres this album, with a groovy emphasis on silky Moog leads. It is quite infectious to say the least, and a reliable formula that is never lazy for a second. Impacting right after is “Inverted Mean”, an honest (if melodramatic) number that uses a downbeat jingle to award a unique sense of gravitas to sounds that would otherwise be found on The Shopping Channel.

Therein lies the profundity and confounding aspects of this release; it is peripheral music, yes, but still holds tightly to Jenkees’ passion and understanding of melody. Is it emotional? Evocative? To a degree, I suppose. “Guitar Sound” (aeems he has not changed the titles since he first saved them in his demo folder) is an urgent opus of attitude, playing the sides of aggressive and percussive… All shades coloring a complex artist’s complex ideas. Jenkees’ uses his vocal chords for some clumsy raps later on in “Let’s Ride”. Again, it is charismatic, and yet flippant, all culminating with the overall feeling that this is all for fun. Yeah, yeah, disorganized fun.

In a way, there is a transition from seeing Ronald Jenkees himself hammering out his creations in his studio, marveling at the charisma displayed, those rapid fingers,  and that is the Disorganized Fun experience. His personality is transferred over to these aural iterations, but lacks the unique relevance he had in his natural Youtube habitat.  Jenkees represents (like previously mentioned in my Cloudkicker review) the artist who writes and performs at his own pace. Using the internet’s uncanny forum for self-promotion, he has successfully managed to build a reputation around his passion, rather than exist in the gimmicky pantheon of the Tay Zondays. Disorganized Fun is half the experience Jenkees offers, but it is good enough.

(6.5/10)