Customer Reviews

Future That Was

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

JJG's "Useful Music" is definitely one of the CDs I would have to take with me to a desert island, so it stands to reason that any follow-up album wouldn't be that good. "Future that Was" isn't as good as "Useful Music", but taken on its own, its another great album by my favorite group no one has heard of.

The first time I listened to it I was a little disappointed, but after hearing it a couple times I got into it. "Must Be You" is my favorite track because the chorus gets stuck in my head all the time. The zany lyrics that really made "Useful Music" stand out from any other album I've ever owned are still present and even though I don't get all the references, I appreciate that these are not your typical "I love you so much" or "I want to sleep with you" songs that we're all saturated with on the radio.

I'm really pulling for them to break through into the mainstream, although I do worry a little about what the band losing its edge if that ever happened. Still, buy this CD and "Useful Music", because in a land of prepackaged pop bands, JJG is the real deal.

contrary to popular belief, this is JJG's 4th album, not their 2nd. The first two, projector head and boxing nostalgic were recorded under another name: Josh Joplin Band. Out of all their albums, boxing nostalgic is the best, followed by useful music and then projector head and this one, which are tied. This si still a great album, but you shoud buy useful music first. boxing nostalgic and projector head are our of print, but you can go to their website, email them, and they'll sell them to you for ten bucks apiece.

The wit is there. The song craft is there. The pop figure allusions tossed about at will, the sing-along fun, it's all there. What's missing from, "The Future that Was," that made JJG's '00 release "Useful Music," one of the best new releases that has came out in quite awhile? Granted it's not much that is missing, but it's noticeable enough.

It's almost as if some of the sound is not there. Did the band let Josh down this go around? Was it a change in producers from Shawn Mullins (he of the '98 smash hit Lullaby) for "Useful Music" to Rob Gal for "The Future that Was?" After close inspection of the band that composes the "group" of JJG, here's my theory. With "The Future that Was," Josh is one guitarist short. Gone is D. Davis that gave JJG such a full sound, leaving them only half-hearted on "The Future that Was." Take a comparison of the two album openers. "Matter" from "Useful Music" has a mean guitar growl that fuels the song, a perfect compliment to Josh Joplin's catchy irreverent and intense voice. On "Must Be You" "Future's" opener we have a catchy enough tune, but the bridge guitar is a weak repetitive droning that barely carries the song and sounds like underproduction readily apparent to a fault on some indie label discs. Not that JJG has made its sound from big guitars, but everyone knows the true value going through the Wendy's drive-through. Don't just settle for the normal value meal, Biggie-size it Josh!!

Don't let this critique scare you off from "The Future." I don't retract my statement that JJG is going places and is a real diamond in the dulled coal world of the recording entertainment world these days. There is much to enjoy here. JJG is at his most lyrically witty here. In "It's only Entertainment" Josh joshes on a lawyer pretending to be "To Kill a Mockingbird's" Atticus Finch, "he's everybody's mensh...But when it comes to stature he only counts the size of other men's desks/He's counting every inch, he's counting every inch." It doesn't get much funnier than that. Oh but wait there is stuff to rival it. In "Trampoline," Josh takes the point of view of his Trampoline and strangely enough has the old testament on his bouncy mind, "Some people wish they could be like Moses/And get their information from burning bushes/Well I tried but the neighbors complained/I set their lawns aflame." Heh, heh, heh, and heh!

The album's standout is "I am not the Only Cowboy," with a unique enough sound and catchy enough hook that it could stand with the best on radio airplay across the nation. The probability that you won't hear it there speaks volumes of how much radio is letting us down these days (just ask Tom Petty, he knows). The song borrows heavily from Lou Reeds' "Take a Walk on the Wild Side" but puts a JJG stamp on it with a little spoken word and a memorable chorus, rendering it infinitely listenable. But when the single strings note kicks in you can almost hear Lou Reed's back up girl's singing, "...and all the colored girls go doo da doo da doo..." The tune isn't a "Camera One" equivalent, but it holds it's own.

In "The Future that Was" JJG cries for a treasured youth that he has barely grown out of, laments the state of rock n roll, and keeps his songwriter's edge. In "It's Only Entertainment," Josh sings, "Save us Polly Jean, we know not what we mean," throwing in a reference to PJ Harvey and her stripped down raw music. Next studio go around, take a listen to her '94 release, "Rid of Me," and like PJ did, Biggie Size those guitars boy.

Josh Joplin Group has created a concentrated follow-up to "Useful Music" that takes a few listens to be fully appreciated. His wit is intact on the opener "Must Be You," "Time just hates me, that's why it made me an adult." "The Wonderful Ones" is a strong rocker where Josh asks the not-so-subtle question, "Everybody loves us, how about you?" "Listening" slows the pace with Allen Bryoles' keyboards giving a sense of strength. Joplin's lyric bites with irony on "Siddhartha's of Suburbia," "The archetype of rock-n-roll is dying in his bed while the debutantes deny it & set their clocks ahead." "When it comes to stature, he only counts the size of other men's desks; he's counting every inch," Joplin spits out on the shotgun rocker "It's Only Entertainment." "Dishes" is a brief little folk melody about a dishwasher's lament. "I Am Not the Only Cowboy" is the CD's big production piece with strings, "You are yourself despite yourself; this world gets smaller as the universe swells." Electric guitars swell on "Lucky." One of my favorite tracks is "Trampoline" with its driving beat, "I went abroad to break my concentration, but instead I broke my glasses, lost my voice in translation." "Fire" has a pretty melody with a prominent piano part. "I sound like Michael Stipe & I dream like Carl Jung," Josh croaks on the hot blaster "Happy At Last." We could start a contest about whom Joplin refers on "The Future That Was" with my guesses being Thomas Edison & Son of Sam! The CD concludes with the wispy "Wonder Wheel." This CD is one that needs a few listenings to see how good it is, similar to Dylan's recent "Love & Theft." Joplin's lyrical distinctiveness and melodic & rock influences make this a delight. Enjoy!

I must say I fell in love with Josh Joplin Group's music with their last amazing CD "Useful Music". I was excited that they had a new CD coming out but a bit scared they would go through a typical "sophmore slump" . Well I am very happy to report this cdis more of the same from the Josh Joplin Group, which is a very good thing.
Josh Joplin is amazing songwriter and once again there are some wonderful songs on this CD . t is rare these days to be able to put on a CD and not have to skip songs.
Highly recommend this CD!

By itself, this is a great CD. It has slick writing, great vocals, and pretty good guitar playing. However, it is very much inferior to Josh Joplin's previous CD Useful Music.

Highlights of this CD include "Must Be You," "The Future that Was," and "Siddhartha's of Suburbia."

If you are in the mood for some good rock in the vein of Matchbox 20 and REM, definitely check out this CD.

I bought this album on amazon, having listened to Joplin's ealier tunes. I have become a fan of his relaxing, yet energizing melodies with almost poetic lyrics reflecting on life. Well, after listening to a few songs, I could see that "The Future That Was" was going to be the same thing. My favorites on the album include "Wonderful Ones", "Siddhartha's of Suburbia", "I Am Not The Only Cowboy", and "The Future That Was". I gave it four stars, but i would have given it 4 1/2 if i could. This is definatley a great album for anyone who wants to just sit back, relax, and feel good about life.

I bought Josh Joplin Group's "Useful Music" just after it came out and, needless to say, I LOVED IT!!! You can imagine my excitement when I heard they were releasing another album. I bought it the day I came out and it stayed in my CD player, on play, for 10 straight hours. Because each of JJG's songs is completely different from the next, it's best to look at the CD song by song...

"Must Be You"--This is rare. It seems to be an actual love song by this band. Easy for anyone to relate to. Definately one of the best songs on the CD.

"Wonderful Ones"--Another one easy to relate to especially for any high school/college age student who may not be the most popular person.

"Listening"--JJG slows down a bit here which is nice.

"Sidhartha's of Suburbia"--Very blunt lyrics which is what I have always loved about JJG. Another one of the best songs on the album--probably one of the best the band has ever done.

"It's Only Entertainment"--Kind of a funny song lyric-wise. Not hysterically funny, but there are definately some humorous moments in it. Love this track though.

"Dishes"--Simple but good. I don't like it so much on its own, but it definately adds to the diversity of the songs on the CD.

"I Am Not The Only Cowboy"--Definately my favorite song on this CD. I don't know how to explain it. It's just amazing.

"Lucky"--Perfect JJG. Intelligent lyrics, great sound, another more mellow one, but again, it adds to the blend.

"Trampoline"--Again, more perfect JJG. Witty lyrics, amazing music-just well done all around.

"Fire"--Meh, not as good as the others on the CD, but still a good song.

"Happy At Last"--The opening line is my favorite: "I sound like Michael Stipe..." It seems to be the bands "up yours" to all of the critics that called them an "REM wannabe band." Great lyrics, amazing music. Probably tied with "Cowboy" as the best song on the album.

"The Future that Was"--Good song. Not quite what I'm used to with JJG, but still pretty good. It just goes to show that you can never know what to expect with this band.

"Wonder Wheel"--The final track on the CD. Ends very much the way "Useful Music" did...quiet and simple--except for the alternate version of "I've Changed" at the end of "Useful Music."

All in all, this is a wonderful CD. I would recomend it to anyone who loves Josh Joplin Group and anyone who has never heard of them (which is probably a lot of people).

Amazingly enough, about 3/4 of the songs on this CD are good and managed to remain on my ipod even today. The trumpet solo in the latter half of "Dishes" is hauntingly beautiful and sort of reminds me of the trumpet from Godspeed You! Black Emperor's "Storm."

Love it, and love him. Great lyrics that make you think or remember specific times in your own life.