Quickies-Episode 1: Everything Under The Sun

Welcome to Quickies! In short, mini album reviews. We're starting it off with an album that I had on repeat for pretty much the entire summer.

Everything Under The Sun

Released: September 7, 2010

Label: Yep Roc Records

Look at that cover. Doesn't it just scream summertime? Now, Everything Under The Sun is the sophomore effort from Jukebox The Ghost. And who are Jukebox The Ghost? One of the best up-and-coming indie bands today, with a sound that focuses as much on piano melodies as on driving electric guitar. From beginning to end, this album brings the good times and runs the full emotional gamut from wanting to run around in a field and spin in circles to sleepy nighttime melodies and everything in between. 

The vocals are incredibly well-expressed. Take Schizophrenia, the album opener, for example. Ben Thornewill (the group's pianist and main singer) delivers the lyrics in a way that perfectly matches the upbeat, yet crisscrossed tempo. Other songs emote different expressions: Mistletoe brings out the Christmas spirit in all of us, while also being a pseudo-love song. Empire has Thornewill realizing that he's finally found the girl of his dreams after holding back for so long. Even guitarist Tommy Siegel gets into the fun as well, contributing vocals to several tracks, most notably Half Crazy (another one of those indie-pop romanticisms found on this record).

But perhaps the most surprising piece on here is The Popular Thing. Of course, the piano is present, but the song structure sounds more like a Broadway composition than anything else (think High School Musical or Hairspray). While there are some weak points (The Sun{Interlude}feels a bit too short to properly measure, and So Let Us Create's intro piano line gets repetitive at times), this is by no means a lacklustre LP.

On the contrary, this is a spectacular piece of work from a band that I hope will only grow bigger with time. Everything Under The Sun is quite literally a perfect representation of its title, and nothing less than that.

Final Rating:

9.5/10

Recommended Tracks: Schizophrenia, Half Crazy, Empire, The Sun, Mistletoe, Summer Sun

What did you guys think of this format? Let me know by posting in the comments down below. 

And remember, there's a lot more to music Beyond The Liner Notes. Rock it out, and I'll see you all next time.

"And you're a far cry from an empire at peace"...