In the truly difficult year of 2020, Jad Fair knew the world could use a pep talk, and it turns out he was just the man to do it. Of the many surprising things about the rather inexplicable career of Half Japanese, it's particularly remarkable that they're not only still around and quite prolific four decades after they brought out their first album, the willfully inept noisemakers have evolved into a listenable and thoroughly charming rock band. 2020's Crazy Hearts, the sixth album since Fair revived Half Japanese with 2014's Overjoyed, is as accessible as anything he's ever given us, full of straightforward, cheerfully impassioned rock & roll with some garage rock and psychedelic touches to keep things colorful, coupled with Fair's individual lyrical outlook. Still talking more than he sings, Fair is much better at bringing the listener in than he was in his earlier days, and his tales of favorite horror movies (both real and imagined) have a homey, less obsessive tone that works in their favor. (Sci-fi fans should take note: "A Phantom Menace" has nothing to do with Star Wars.) For a guy whose songs about women could sound unnervingly needy, Crazy Hearts is the work of a more mature and balanced songwriter; if he's still a creature defined by his obsessions, they come from a place of joy and they're actually fun to hear. Fair's latest edition of Half Japanese -- John Sluggett on guitar and synthesizer, Mick Hobbs on guitar and organ, Jason Willett on bass, and Gilles-Vincent Rieder on drums and keyboards -- have developed a superb feel for his musical outlook, and they've made the band into something easier to embrace without stripping away Fair's singular view of the world. Though Crazy Hearts never addresses the multiple disasters that defined the year of its release, the fervent optimism of "As Best You Can," "And It Is," and "A Job Well Done" is welcome at any time, especially when fear and tragedy hold sway. It's as comforting as a cup of cocoa to hear Fair tell us "Pick up the phone/Cupid called/He just called to say thank you/You're doing everything right/Keep it up/Break a leg!" Half Japanese are here for you on Crazy Hearts, and that's more reassuring than anyone might have imagined four decades previous. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

1		The Beastmaster
2		Wondrous Wonder
3		Dark World
4		And It Is
5		My Celebrity
6		Phantom Menace
7		Undisputed Champions
8		Late at Night
9		Crazy Hearts
10		A Job Well Done
11		As Best You Can
12		Let It Show

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