Jacob Jeffries – Tell Me Secrets

“Gavin DeGraw meets Ben Folds”. That’s how someone described Jacob Jeffries to me when trying to see if I would like him musically or not. The funny thing is, I’m not a huge Gavin Degraw fan. I like one or two songs but was never obsessed. I guess it always felt like a guilty pleasure for someone who largely listens to punk and ska. I love me some Ben Folds though (and other piano-driven bands, like Jukebox the Ghost), so I decided it was worth a shot. I’m glad I kept an open mind, because this album is happiness personified. The first song, “Worth The Wait,” is super catchy, which signaled to me I would probably enjoy what followed. Other songs might not be nearly as happy, but they remain upbeat or driven. It’s one of the reasons I love piano-driven music – it adds a whole new dimension to the sound that keeps things interesting. Even slower songs are likely to have some element that keeps you listening, although there are always exceptions depending on personal preference. In the case of Tell Me Secrets, the action does dip a bit at the top of the second half, but it picks up again at the end and still offers an overall enjoyable experience for the listener. I think my only issue was that “Worth The Wait” was possibly too catchy (if there is such a thing), and I really wanted just a whole album of that. Instead we got a wide range of sounds, which is not a bad thing at all. It might not have been what I expected, but it did show the artist’s talents in a variety of ways. Intrigued? Good. iTunes link for ya

My job here is done 😀

Kids of 88 – New Video + Upcoming Album

I did of review of Kids of 88 awhile back when I heard their first album. Also got lucky enough to see them during CMJ one year (the same year I saw Jukebox the Ghost something like 3 times in the same week. That year was awesome!)

Anyway, the Kids are back, with an album expected out summer 2012. I’ll definitely have a review once it gets closer, but for now enjoy this little sample to hold you over.

Jukebox rocks Rockwood during secret show

Jukebox the Ghost snuck into Rockwood Music Hall last night for an intimate secret show in anticipation of their upcoming new album, Safe Travels. They opened with an old favorite, Schizophrenia, before proceeding to play the entire new album (about 46 minutes in length) out of order, and finishing with their latest cover, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” originally done by Whitney Houston. Some of the songs from the new album were extremely poppy and upbeat, while others were dark and complex.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy to do a proper review. I couldn’t get as many recordings as the last time they did something like this, but I did manage to get one video on my iPhone. The song is called “Adulthood,” and I have a feeling it’s going to grow to become one of my favorites. It’s about how you can survive childhood and adolescence, but once you get to adulthood that’s it. “From adulthood, no one survives.” It’s a very powerful song that should hold strong for adults of all ages, but especially the 20 somethings who are just starting to slowly figure this out. Consider it a sample to hold you over until the album release on June 12th.