Ladies and Gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts. The escape hatches are situated towards the rear of the vehicle, your parachutes are beneath your seats, please read the safety manual before we take off. Welcome to the world of JUPITER ONE, we have lift off...
There are only two words required to describe this self-titled EP : Fucking, and Marvellous. Here is an outstanding collection of Prog-rock orientated, intelligent, Barbarella meets Pink Floyd-inspired kick ass melodies. They even manage to successfully pull off a rather superb laser gun solo on their opening track, 'Wrong Line'.
Each one of the six tunes of this EP is a Stand Out Track. 'Kamikaze Pilots' opens, sounding like the beginning of a kitsch 1970's sci-fi horror film, gradually building into a stunning anthem of epic proportions - including a monumental Nigel Kennedy-esque violin solo - the song culminating in a three-way vocal arrangement between Ishibashi(vocals/guitar/keyboards/violin) singing "I don't want to die!", and a small child replying "Don't worry, you won't feel a thing..." Dripping with melodrama, you'll be weeping into your shoes by the end of it.
'Mystery Man' is perhaps the most obvious musical reference to Pink Floyd, highly reminiscent of the classic 'Comfortably Numb'. However, it is a homage well done, and a bloody good song in it's own right.
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'It Takes A Monster' is a rockin stomp of biblical proportions, while 'Fireflies' would sit quite nicely on the soundtrack to War of the Worlds, with tonnes of lovely flutes and whimsical lyrics, delivered heavy with pathos, "I thought I saw a girl, I know did not exist..." The final track, 'Safe But Not At Home' has Ishibashi singing the words 'Crazy girl! Here we are!' while managing not to make it sound contrived.
All tracks make full use of whatever instrument was to hand: providing us with calculated virtuoso performances throughout, be it flutes, violins, guitars, vocals - you name it, they can probably play it. To concert hall standard.
The music of Jupiter One is beautiful, touching, humorous and very clever. This is certainly one of those rare EP's that I'm sure I'll not ever tire of listening to.
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