'Goodnight to Everyone' is my first encounter with Harrisburg, PA-based rock 'n' roll quartet The Jellybricks. Frankly, it’s a terrible name for a band. Formed in 1997, this is their fourth full-length album, which expounds what they call their 'rocking power-pop sound' over 10 tracks.
It's a fitting enough description: as an album, it's coherent, packed with breezy, upbeat numbers characterised by some pleasant and accomplished harmonies. And there's not a lot wrong with that, in itself.
Opener 'Eyes Wide' is a US-college radio-friendly number reminiscent of latter-day REM. The title track is an accessible number that would work well on the soundtrack to a US teen drama series or Scrubs. Indeed, the same could be said of every track here. Some start off with the promise of doing something different – 'Broken Record' kicks off with a more driving drum and guitar sound, before rapidly morphing into an amalgamation of Free (plus about a dozen other bands) with... REM.
|
Which is why I can't say that I was immediately hooked, or wondered how I've coped without them all my life. In fact, by the end, the tracks had merged together to form one largely forgettable whole. The number of influences that appear to collide serve to strip the band of any real identity of their own. Yes, it's all very competent, but it's all a tad generic, too. Clearly, the result of 'honing their craft on the road and in the studio for a dozen years' is a tightness and solidity that's commendable, but also a degree of slickness that leads to sameness and mediocity. There's simply nothing here to grab the listener and demand repeat listening. So, as background or soundtrack music, it's ok, but ultimately 'Goodnight to Everyone' is rather unsatisfying.
|
