Rush [Import]

Jay-Jay Johanson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 21, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Virgin Int'l
• ASIN: B000AMUL8Y
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #482,620 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Jay-Jay Johanson - Rush, October 26, 2011

By 

scoundrel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rush (Audio CD)

Jay-Jay Johanson once again immerses his voice in electronics with RUSH, and the title track manages to coax some romance from both. "The Last Of The Boys To Know" dives straight into synth-pop, and yet for all its rhythm, it retains a whisper of sadness by not diving head-first into HI-NRG (that's what "Because of You" is for!). "Teachers" and "Forbidden Words" go full-on disco, and "Mirror Man" lets the beat into the front seat. The Donna Summer-inspired "Rock It" takes a leisurely stroll through the 80s, and "I.O.U. My Love" ends the album on more of a come-on. On the second disc of mostly acoustic demos, Johanson brings his songwriting skills to the fore. Stripped of most of their electronics, Johanson's voice takes center stage. The title track has a simple elegance to it, while "Rock It" brings in a gentle beat that leaves the vocals as the central element. The rhythm is merely a hint in "Another Nite Another Love," with the jangling guitar and piano chords taking the spotlight. Of the two unique tracks, "Time Won't Heal" harkens back to the swooning romanticism and heartbreak of French chanson, while "Ruby Emerald Sapphire Diamond" wouldn't be out of place on the main disc. Another great showing by Johanson.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars www.undressmerobot.com review, June 21, 2006

By 

Yurij Lojko (Boston, Ma USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rush (Audio CD)

The Swedish and their electronica, yeesh.

Having not heard Jay Jay Johanson before this album, I was surprised to see his extensive discography listed on amazon.com, and that his earliest CD was realeased in 1998. Being a fan of Royksopp's quirky Swedish electronica, it would seem fitting for me to have already known of this similar Swedish electronic music, but for whatever reason this was not the case.

Anyway, giving Rush a listen, I was able to make comparisons to Royksopp, Annie, Daft Punk, Phoenix, and others of the same vein. This is a great genre to be in, and after so many albums Jay Jay should have a specific electronica/dance style of his own. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to separate him from the rest of these bands.

Not knowing much about what his earlier releases are like (except that Poison from 2000 is very Portishead-like and one of the songs, "Suffering," is on the Queer As Folk soundtrack), I can't make a true judgement about the way Jay Jay's music evolved, or say that he's copying all those artists when the case may be that he is their influence. What I'll do instead is compare Rushto all other current electronica releases. Doing that, I have to admit that I'd rather buy a Royksopp album than a Jay Jay Johanson album any day. It's true that Jay Jay's been around a bit longer, but Royksopp has accomplished much more on their 2005 release, The Understanding, than Jay Jay has on Rush.

With that said, Jay Jay's music really aint too bad. Songs like "Because of You" and "Mirror Man" are totally danceable and head bobbable. "Rock It" has a great melody and creates an unusually interesting atmosphere. But even with these glimmers of hope, I simply can't get passed the complete copy of Daft Punk's music in "Teachers."

Buy this album if you already love all those other artists mentioned above; Rush anything but terrible. But if you're a stranger to the genre (or loved that song in Lost in Translation that they danced to in the Japanese apartment before singing karaoke but never cared enough to find out who it was [Phoenix]), then buy Daft Punk, Phoenix, Annie, and Royksopp first.