Review: Jonny Rumble – JR

June 25th, 2010 by Oswald Hobbes / Comment on this post

The first song that clicked with me on Jonny Rumble‘s new album JR was the mid-album barnburner “Courtney’s Basement;” it sounds exactly like Kings Of Leon’s early stuff, with a straight-forward arrangement and spazzy riffs. The rest of the disc, I wasn’t so sure of – so I kept listening. And that turned out to be key, because Jonny Rumble do so much stuff here, jumping from style to style and throwing so many melodic curveballs, that JR is just not easily digestible. But: it’s pretty short at thirty minutes, which means you can listen to it 48 times in one day. That should be enough spins to get you acclimated.

The band’s influences range far and wide; the disc can feel a little schizophrenic at first. There are three constants, as I can tell: 1) They like to keep things funky – the vibe is that of a crowded city street at night, with touches of reggae and soul that elevate their blend of alt-country and garage-y punk to “instant party-starter” status. 2) Brian Webb’s passionate vocals, which make every song feel like a shot to the gut. And 3) These guys really dig in and play; the songs don’t merely sit there and request your attention, they reach out and invite you to dance. (Or, in the case of first single “BRZRKR” and the aforementioned “Courtney’s Basement,” they karate chop you in the neck.)

Opener “Cox Road” is deep and wide, with slinky wah-wah’ed guitars and some tinkling piano. I usually like a record to start with the hardest and fastest material first, just to wake me up, but this is more of a head-nodder than a foot-stomper, and that’s okay too. In fact, the band’s softer moment’s are some of JR‘s best – “Stumped” has a spaced-out Flaming Lips vibe that’s a nice contrast to all of the head-bustin’ and booty-shakin’ going on around it (and the “ba-ba-bas” will steal your heart, as “ba-ba-bas” are prone to do), and “Time,” the album’s last song, throws some glorious pedal steel into the mix.

JR is a textbook grower; what all seemed like a little too much at first now makes perfect sense, and I want more. If your tastes run toward the eclectic (and you think it would be awesome for Kings Of Leon to cover an Elvis Costello song from 1983, which is kind of what the best moments sound like), this is the disc for you. It’s available now for free download from Rock Proper, although I recommend you scoop up the $13 vinyl edition. It may take a few listens, but you’ll get hooked. Jonny Rumble is a hell of a drug!

(Jonny Rumble are playing a record release show tonight [6/25] at Beat Kitchen. California Wives and You Can Be A Wesley also throw down. The doors open at 8:3opm, it’s 21+, and tickets are $6. Be there, or miss the Assault Party Death Squad getting buckwild on the dancefloor.)