power pop

Light Electric Orchestra

| Chris

Hey, didn’t I say I’ll be back with more Jellyfish-related material? Well, here it is. Sort of.

leoNo, it’s not the Jeff Lynne group. And you’re not dyslexic either, are you? I think, it’s just so cool that they actually sound quite a bit like E.L.O. and whatever else Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and George Harrison did together.

L.E.O. is not much a band as it is a bunch of like-minded musicians around the country who instead of getting together physically, used technology to bridge the distance between themselves to create such masterful work of music. Andy Sturmer, that awesome drummer from Jellyfish, was a major contributor to the making of the album Alpacas Orgling and is a big factor in my liking L.E.O.’s music.

If you haven’t heard them yet, do yourself a favor and listen to the entire album on last.fm and check out this video of their song Goodbye Innocence. You’d swear you’re hearing a Traveling Wiburys song you’d never heard before.

Say a prayer for the fallen star

| Chris

I may have deep roots when it comes to music and could be partial when talking about certain influences like Alice Cooper, Queen, Zep, Kiss and the Beatles – but honestly, if I had to pick one CD to play for the rest of my life, and nothing else… my definite pick would be Spilt Milk, by the incredible yet short-lived group, Jellyfish. I mean, the album has all of the ingredients I love in music, period. The awesome guitar, big sounding stand-up drums, the mesmerizing melodies, the Queen-like harmonies and yes – Magical Mystery Tour, revisited. Old-fashioned, yet very modern. Avant-garde yet power pop. They are, by far, my favorite band of the 90’s. And their second album is an absolute masterpiece of an artwork. A Rembrandt, in my book.

jf

Can you tell I joined the fan club?

I love this song so much I could even tolerate a cover of it by some Japanese teen group.

Hmmm… I have a feeling I’ll be posting more of Jellyfish and Jellyfish-related groups in the near future. It’s a good thing.

Jesus Wants My Soul Back

| Chris

jackdaw4You can already hear the campiness of the song just in the title itself.

But Jackdaw4 is more than just campy, I think. I’ve been listening to this London-based outfit for a couple of years now after being introduced to their music by die-hard listeners on last.fm. They’re quite a unique bunch in this age of predictable pop. But then again, maybe it’s just me. My biggest influences are Queen and the Beatles, and any artist that succeeds in blending the two genre together wins my approval right off the bat.

Here’s a video of another one of their awesome song, Frobisher’s Last Stand, done live. Check them out as they recreate the studio version’s lush harmonies of this song on stage. Brilliant!