Customer Reviews

Sunshower

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Imagine if The Cars and CSN had gotten together and had musical knock-offs - the result might very well sound like Jupiter One's sophomore effort "Sunshower". Full of shiny guitar riffs, catchy pop hooks, high harmonies, and a slight punk edge, this is easily one of the best new albums I've heard this year. Their influences are pretty far-reaching, everyone from The Beatles (listen to "Strange Teacher") to The Who (the opening riff on "Volcano") to a Taxiride-like harmonic progression on "Flaming Arrow" (Taxiride owes a big debt to CSN as well). It's all terribly melodic, just-this-side of sweet, with enough of a sharp tang in the vocals and lyrics to keep it edgy. I can hear nods to college rock bands like Luna and Beat Happening, (especially on the fantastic "Made In A Day") and classic nods to The Beach Boys and the poppier side of The Clash (listen to "Anna"). I was happily surprised by this album, and easily recommend it to anyone who loves power-pop, punk-pop, or just plain melodic goodness. These guys deserve to have a few singles break wide, and I hope it happens. They're that good.

Jupiter One has somehow been lumped into the pop genre with so many other bands that could not hold a candle to the musical depth on their album Sunshower. With smooth vocals that seem to float in and around each instrumental contribution, nothing about their sound is displeasing. Beyond this, Jupiter One has certainly not restricted themselves to any particular sound. That is, each track on the album adds something of a slightly different flavor.

Just to give the individuals that have never heard Jupiter One an idea of what they might be getting themselves into they have the instrumental depth and commitment of Karate and the best of the Shins. Some of the vocals might be compared to Motion City Soundtrack, John Lennon, and Elliot Smith. This is a wide spectrum indeed but, again, Jupiter One has not restricted themselves and while they could be compared to other artists, they have a sound truly their own.

Sunshower's managed to grab everything from 70's and 80's pop and blend it in to a feel-good disc that doesn't have a single skippable song on it. Probably every reviewer is going to talk about the group's musical influences. I heard Genesis and Peter Gabriel right off. What's great about Sunshower is that the music isn't just 'inspired by'. They've somehow taken the best out of these musical great's styles and made it their own. They've got harmonies inspired by CS&N, a sharp drummer, and a world music influence just to name a few.

This is a CD to put on to blast away winter's chill darkness and dispel a rainy day's gray mood. Use it to dance, exercise, clean the house and the time will go by faster with your heart a good deal lighter, too. One of the best tags below is 'power pop' and that definitely describes this group's appeal.

My only complaints, the sound definitely is engineered for MP3. On a stereo, you lose some of the lovely effects and the beauty of the music somewhat flattens out. Additionally, the CD is short. I could listen to this group for a bit longer than 38 minutes.

Rebecca Kyle, October 2009

Even after several listens, I can't really put my finger on what the new Jupiter One release Sunshower is really all about. I decided to thumb through other reviews to see if anyone had captured in words what I had so far been unable to.

Alas, I'm not sure anyone else has got the right idea either. It is generally too saccharine to have any type of "punk" label attached, and only a few songs lean towards "power pop". I also can't quite agree with comparisons to CS&N or The Cars, though in one or two spots the band reminded of E.L.O. a bit, and Strange Teacher does have a Beatlesque quality to it.

So I'll give the band credit for an original sound - a bit alternative, with multi-part harmonies, some jangling electric guitars, some interesting classic rock influence, some unpleasant "adult alternative" influence, and some even more unpleasant "adult soft contemporary" influence. That said, I will say I was surprised that I tended to enjoy the more obvious soft pop tracks (Anna, Find Me a Place, Strange Teacher). In all Sunshower ends up being pleasant, but not outstanding, listening.

Jupiter One is another 'kitchen sink' band with a lot of influences and genre nods... and that's not a bad thing. They mix folk, rock, R&B, surf, pop, ska, etc, etc, etc. with a heavy focus on melody. So in the end, you've got a lot of sound to wrap your head around, but they make it fun to do so. It's easy to lose the plot with this type of approach to sound crafting (see some of The Go! Team or The Flaming Lips), but Jupiter One keeps the tempo light and fun, with a constant bug in your ear in the form of a catchy melody. Unoffensive and fun.

In these days of syntho-pop, hip-hop, rap, and teen pop, Jupiter One provides a refreshing alternative.

Light, upbeat, and progressive, with just enough syth, Jupiter One delivers a fantastic vocal album that will leave you wishing for more. And although this was my first exposure to Jupiter One, I immediately bought their first self-titled album.

Question: What is with the album art's obsession with foxes?

Jupiter One, named after the space ship from 'Lost In Space' is a quasi-indie/alt rock band that's music may be a little frazzled at times, has very distingwishable vocals, and last year they suprised me with their song "Countdown." It wasn't the best song of the year by any means, but it was a solid song nevertheless, and it had a nice feel to it. And while I did not listen to all of their debut, I would feel safe in venturing to say that this album presents something of a musical shift, with lots of 70s musical influences, and less of a radio-friendly sound. The result, is somewhat mixed.

Highlights Include:
Volcano
Lights Go Out
Anna
Come On

Sound-wise, the album takes a lot of its cues from the late 70s, including tracks that sound vaguely disco-inspired, Eagles-esque, or just songs that fit in the general musical mood of the era. So, your opinion of the album may depend on your tolerance for a group like the Eagles. It does venture into pop rock and alt rock territory though, and this is where the album shines. It's often frazzled, but Jupiter One does a great job with songs like "Lights Go Out" and "Come On." I didn't find a distinguishable hit as in "Countdown," but there's quite a few solid tracks nevertheless

However, the album has a major stumbling block, and that's memorability. In reviewing this album I took a couple days off to meditate about it, but then found myself forgetting about it rather quickly. And while you tend to remember the highlights fairly quickly, and as the album grows on you over time, it just gets lost in the shuffle of its sound, then to the dark cravasses of your mind, never to be heard from again until you hear it the next time.

Overall, Sunshower is a solid, earthy effort with more than a few songs to please Alt Rock, indie, and pop rock lovers with its 70s influence. There's some very strong songs here, but the album is almost crushed under the weight of its longevity. Perfect for late nights, you'll either love it and/or hate it depending on your mood.

Real Score: 3.5

It's not that SUNSHOWER's happy vibes are lost on me, or that their musical style is too similar to too many other bands (most notably the Cars) or even that their recording quality is average at best. The real problem with this album is that it lacks the sort of punch that keeps you coming back for more. Listening to it I found the music enjoyable enough, but certainly not gripping. These are tunes more than songs if you know what I mean, great in the background but unable to take up residence in the front side of my consciousness--sort of the blurred and muffled sounds of extras moving around behind the main action. Inoffensive inasmuch as they are unidentifiablely bland. On second and then third lisentings, I realized that these songs are happily oblivious, enjoyable little treks. Nothing epic, nothing of impact, nothing that leaves you with lingering sense either sweet or sour. These are songs that live by the 'do no harm' theory of existence. They take up little space, and may not communicate something profound, but they certainly don't offend either.

A passable musical experience. Not well produced (the whole thing sounds dull and muffled). Happy. Unremarkable but likable.

2.5/5 Stars.

Jupiter One's SUNSHOWER offers a mixture of summer pop with '80s vocal harmonies, string-drenched arrangements, and, sometimes, contemporary punk-influenced guitar work. The promotional material encourages comparisons to The Flaming Lips and The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, and MGMT, and moments do suggest those influences, but most of the tracks have such a homogeniety that these influences could be any part of a mix of influences--they are not as beat-driven as MGMT, they lack the bluesy world-weariness of The Stones, the harmonies lack the richness of The Beach Boys, and they do not take the risks one would expect of The Flaming Lips. It's a pleasant album, and the stand-out tracks, "Flaming Arrow" and "People in the Mountain, People in the Ocean," would fit in nicely in a vacation mix disc. Still, Jupiter One does not define itself on this album.

My title for this review has absolutely nothing to do with this very nice CD, "Sunshower." But when I heard that "Jupiter One" is a reference to the 1960's science fiction television series, "Lost in Space" (the spaceship on the program is named, "Jupiter One"), I immediately thought of this memorable phrase and important part of pop culture history, uttered by the robot in nearly every episode, "Warning, Warning. Danger, Will Robinson!", whenever some sort of alien was hiding behind the next (fake looking, 60s plastic) rock.

OK, anyway, on to the music. Which I liked very much! This one is going on my I-pod where I only put my favorite music. In the category of music dubbed "Indie" because the bands are creating and presenting their music in a non-mainstream way and don't yet draw huge crowds, I think "Jupiter One" has alot of talent, including a strong base player, great vocals, and excellent rhythm (in guitar, base, and drums).

Who do they remind me of? I'll agree with other reviewers who have noted the tributes paid to other artists from decades before, and from a variety of genres. Except for a similarity at times to "The Shins," I can't really compare them directly to any other performers. "Jupiter One" has a nice balance of originality and tradition. I particularly enjoy the upbeat melodies and rhythm of "Lights Go Out," "Flaming Arrow," "Anna," and "Simple Stones" (the first half of the CD).

I've kept the CD in my car, and with everything else to do there including paying attention to the road, making cell phone calls, broadcasting my I-pod on the radio, or listening to XM comedy...., for the last several days, "Jupiter One" and "Sunshower" have won out.

Most people, and certainly the subset who review music, tend to possess lemming like qualities for following the crowd. I think "Jupiter One" is just one "Soundtrack From A Good Movie or Hot Television Show About The Angst of Being 20ish" away from hitting it big. For example, as did nearly everyone did who was lucky enough to have been on the marvelous "Garden State" soundtrack.

This band is too talented, too respectful of their music heritage, and too creative to be overlooked. I hope we'll continue to hear great sounds from these folks for a long time.