Time for the crazy, oddball, off the wall review of the week. This oddball review is courtesy of Shaqwanda, and a band she heard while seeing a Barenaked Ladies show recently. Jukebox opened for them, and Shaqwanda says they were amazing. Well let's see if their liveness comes through via album form. Turns out these fellas are a trio from Washington DC. In 2003 they met while students at George Washington University - and played for a couple years then taking a brief hiatus. What's interesting is, sound wise - they sound fairly similar to Ben Folds. Not AT ALL lyrically, but just piano and vocal wise. They toured with Ben Folds quite a bit in the late 2000's. This album dropped in 2008 and they did release a second one this year. So I'm not sure how much of this album was played at the BNL show. I'll have to review the other one sometime too. I guess this one is just - well odd. There are a couple songs where it seems they're a legitimate group making really good music. Then there will be some wacky - no lyrical value and not particularly catchy song to follow up. Nothing wrong with that - but from a me buying your music standpoint, I wouldn't do it. BNL is probably the most mindless music I listen to, and I only ever picked up their 'Stunt' album. I never listen to it though. Regardless, I'm going back and forth on this. I guess it might depend on the mood I'm in. At 7am this morning when I went through it the first time, I must not have been ready for it. I'm going through it again now, and some songs I'm tapping my toes to. Maybe I'll have to see them live, as Shaqwanda did.
TRACK LISTING:
1. Good Day
2. Hold It In
3. Beady Eyes On The Horizon
4. Under My Skin
5. Miss Templeton's 7000th Dream
6. Static
7. Victoria
8. My Heart's The Same
9. Lighting Myself On Fire
10. Fire In The Sky
11. Where Are All The Scientists Now?
12. Matter Of Time, A
Listen To Samples
1. My Hearts The Same
2. Beady Eyes On The Horizon
3. Miss Templeton's 7000th Dream
FINAL RATING:
2.75 out of 5 stars
The next time Jukebox the Ghost comes, you're more than welcome to join me at the show.
ReplyDeleteAccording to setlist.fm, they played Good Day and Hold It In at the show I went to. I remember really liking Hold It In live.
These are my top 3 from this album.
1 - Hold It In
2 - Victoria
3 - Where Are All The Scientists Now?
I will have to politely disagree with you on BNL being mindless. I think they've got a solid sound. Some songs, One Week for example, are just fun songs. What's the point of music if it's not fun?
Like you, I only own Stunt but they've got 14 albums, so they must be doing something right.
(They also wrote the theme song for the Big Bang Theory. Which was pretty cool to see live.)
In no way did I mean to say BNL isn't a good or even great band. I just don't listen to their music and ponder what's out there in the afterlife or anything. Again, nothing wrong with that - you need that style of music from time to time. I've seen BNL live before, and loved them. I think they were one of the best live jam bands I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteThese guys could be in a similar boat, I'd just have to hear more by them to make sure they're more on the jam band side and not the straight up wacky side. There are a lot of wacky bands out there doing crazy stuff - but whose music has no actual value to me. I haven't made my decision on Jukebox yet.
3 Doors Down got a better rating than this? I think that depletes all credibility you might have as an album reviewer.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree moreso with Shaqwanda in terms of top tracks... Under My Skin, Hold It In, Victoria, Good Day, and Lighting Myself On Fire are where it's at. Why on earth would you choose Miss Templeton as your top 3? Jukebox are talented, musical, and extremely catchy but that is a terrible terrible track.
ReplyDeleteP.S. you had 2 sentences of legit musical criticism in that review, the rest is irrelevant backstory.
I'll actually respond, since it's my policy to respond to all comments, regardless of them being constructive or not.
ReplyDeleteLast time I checked, ratings are extremely subjective. You might think this is the best band in the world - good for you. I thought they were average. Maybe I'd like a different album by them more - as I did with the one 3DD album you must have read the review for. I don't typically care for most of their music either.
Again, top tracks on an album are relative. I don't know how many people tell me 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is the best song off Nevermind, but I wouldn't put it in my Top 5. (as I didn't during my review of that record)
Of all your commentary, you gave me only one sentence of legit musical feedback, and that you don't care for the irrelevant backstories of my reviews. That's more than okay with me. Some people have told me doing robotic reviews of arrangements, lyrical content and quality and instrumental usage is boring to them. So I try to write things are intended to be personable instead of the "standard". Which again, I appreciate that sort of feedback, and have actually been trying to tone down the personal nature of my reviews as of late, without jading the readers who enjoy that sort of dialogue.
Anyways, I've done over 650 album reviews for the B Side. If you disagree with most of what I've written over the last couple of years, it's probably safe to say that we have very different musical tastes. But where you and I will forever be at ends, is I would never criticize someone for liking one band more than another. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, or any other cliche you'd care to throw at it.
Glad you like Jukebox The Ghost, I hope you go out and purchase their cd's from your local record store.