jupiter one – sunshower
September 7th, 2009 | by jason grishkoff | published in alternative, folk-rock, indie pop, indie rock | 5 comments
sounds like: fruit bats, the shins, the flaming lips, mgmt, whitest boy alive
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what’s so good?
it’s absolutely impossible to describe this group’s sound in a nutshell. never before have i heard an artist put together an album with so many different flavors: folk, indie-pop, 80s, funk, punk, a;lsdkjfald…i just don’t know where to go with this one. i have a feeling that if i played this album for someone with a blindfold, they’d have no clue it was all from the same band. and frankly, that’s what makes this album so awesome.
the song above, flaming arrow, happens to be one of the outstanding tracks, but as i made pretty clear in the last paragraph, it can’t speak for the album. so, i’ll ago ahead and add another: simple stones. with a groovy baseline, catchy clapping, and vocals that almost have me asking, “wait, is that phil collins?”, it’s as close as i think i can come to providing another slice of this genre-bending album.
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all-in-all, this genre-explosion of an album has me pretty excited. i wish i could share the whole album with you, but that’s what itunes is for, right? get out there and support these guys!
This young quartet—all in their twenties—consisting of K Ishibashi (lead vocals), Zac Colwell (lead guitar), Dave Heilman (drums) and Pat Dougherty (bass), has a knack for unifying their contemporary style with a range of musical influences. Sunshower is the result of Jupiter One’s experienced ear. The band’s chain of events since forming has been quite impressive, from selling out NYC’s hot bed of music venues, to releasing their self-titled EP in 2005, to hooking up with music industry legend Jac Holzman (yes, the man who signed The Doors) who ended up sequencing their 2007 debut full-length.
And considering that most of America has already heard their music in NBC’s hit show Heroes or in high profile TV ad campaigns for MLB’s Opening Day ‘09, NASCAR Talladega Race ’09, Madden NFL ’08, Payless and Mazda, it’s clear Jupiter One has come a long way from the traveling circus. Yes, Barnum Kaleidoscope is where Virginian-born K Ishibashi and Austin native Zac Colwell met as touring musicians, and where the two planted the seeds for Jupiter One. Having quit their day jobs, the new Jupiter One, with the addition of former STOMP member and New Jersey-born Dave Heilman and Delaware-raised Pat Dougherty, continue to rock stage shows Stateside and breathe new life into their ever-evolving sound. – musicremedy.com
elsewhere on the web:
jupiter one’s myspace | myspace.com/jupiterone
blog critics review of jupiter one | blogcritis.com
aversion review of jupiter one | aversion.com
September 9th, 2009 at 7:30 pm (#)
awesome band.
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September 15th, 2009 at 2:40 pm (#)
WOWWIEE!
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February 8th, 2010 at 9:05 am (#)
’simple stone’ – fantastic song!
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February 8th, 2010 at 11:41 am (#)
been starting my morning drive off with ‘Anna’ for the past few weeks and it just makes for a better day in general.
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February 8th, 2010 at 12:01 pm (#)
I heard these guys practicing at my rehearsal studio (King Killer), and they were awesome! I got the record just from hearing them and asking the owner who they were (they had left a copy of their first album in the lobby, which I quickly ripped to my iTunes). ‘Anna’ is a seriously rad tune; it’s got that catchy and smooth yacht rock flavor to it, but I think saying they’re songs are simple treats is perhaps a bit condescending. Yes, they essentially write pop songs, but they are deceptively complex. In a lot of music, art, literature, etc. it can be said that when something is done right, it won’t be noticed. But being a songwriter and musician myself (big deal, right?) I can honestly say that these guys actually do a lot of complex things in order to give their songs richness and dynamics. Their harmonies are beautiful and their songs rule. ‘Nuff said. Also the video for Flaming Arrow rules the school.
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