Jupiter One [Bonus Tracks] (2007)

New York City's delightfully named Jupiter One (after the spaceship on TV's Lost in Space ) emerged from the city's new wave/post-punk revival scene with an effervescent 2007 self-titled debut. With an overriding new wave synth sound and energy and hooks that draw comparisons to Franz Ferdinand and the Strokes, as well as the Cars, Jupiter One's mostly danceable debut provides plenty of party soundtrack potential. It's not surprising that multiple tracks from the album were licensed for TV, commercials, and various EA ... Read More

New York City's delightfully named Jupiter One (after the spaceship on TV's Lost in Space ) emerged from the city's new wave/post-punk revival scene with an effervescent 2007 self-titled debut. With an overriding new wave synth sound and energy and hooks that draw comparisons to Franz Ferdinand and the Strokes, as well as the Cars, Jupiter One's mostly danceable debut provides plenty of party soundtrack potential. It's not surprising that multiple tracks from the album were licensed for TV, commercials, and various EA Sports video games (most notably, "Countdown" appears in Madden NFL 08). However, one shouldn't presume that this is simple jock rock fodder; as catchy as these songs are, the melodies and arrangements are often sophisticated, with instrumentation that branches into strings and woodwinds. Instrumentals even bookend the track lineup. The album's sound also reaches beyond the '80s, with doses of Pink Floyd bleeding though on "Moon Won't Turn" and the psychedelic "Kamikaze Pilots." Singer K Ishibashi's easy, conversational delivery, which maintains geniality even while covering larger-than-average ranges, is a nice fit for the sometimes ambitious melodic lines, as in the driving and soaring "Moon Won't Turn." The album also benefits from a strong and versatile rhythm section that deftly guides the record through funky ("Wrong Line"), punky ("Fire Away"), poppy ("Unglued"), and ambient ("Kamikaze Pilots") grooves, well, without missing a beat. Most of the songwriting duty is shared by Ishibashi and guitarist/keyboardist Zac Colwell, who seem to complement each other; at least it's not obvious on the first few listens which one or if both wrote which songs. The lyrics, however, while largely on track, are uneven. The jarring swears in "Mystery Man," for instance, don't flow with the subdued tone and delicate vocal delivery of the song. That may be forgiven (as may be -- but only maybe -- rhyming China and vagina) when there are also lyrics like "Ear against a mausoleum/Eyes on a broken wristwatch hand/My feet still caked with sand/Remembering when we came unglued." On the whole, Jupiter One is well-crafted, vibrant, and, despite its in-vogue throwback qualities, refreshing. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi Read Less