Jonezetta - Cruel to be Young [Album]

Tooth & Nail

February 25, 2009, 10:13 PM

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Buy Jonezetta - Cruel to be Young [Album] From Amazon.com

Buy this album! It is amazing.

Chances are you haven’t heard or heard of Jonezetta. This needs to change ASAP! Their second album Cruel to be Young is incredible. Put down Kings of Leon and go out and buy this album. I can assure you it will not disappoint.

The CD opens strong with the track Wide Awake – some synths, a driven bass line, a haunting verse and a catchy chorus. Actually, to an extent that describes the whole album. The band has used an awesome mix of reverb, effects, harmonies, bass and creativity to produce this masterpiece. The album was recorded in Seattle earlier this year and you can tell they had fun experimenting with their own style along the way (Wide Awake ends with a delightfully messy “da da da” but the whole album is beautifully polished).

Second up is the piano-led song Holding on to You, another catchy number with a sixteenths hi-hat drum beat chorus and a sweet falsetto hook. Following this is Busy Body, which sounds like Jonzetta’s own take on bands like The Strokes. Speaking of influences, when I first heard Paint & Picture I was sure that Chris Martin had been roped in to help on the vocals because Jonezetta lead singer Robert Chisolm’s style is so reminiscent of Coldplay (and believe it or not there’s even a flavour of Alkaline Trio in there).

Sick in the Teeth is great fun, starting (and re-starting) with a sweet drum-beat interlaced with Rob singing monotone and then climbing up his register. David Bazaan from Pedro the Lion features in the song and the two harmonize beautifully in the second verse. Following on from that is the song Cruel to be Young, another piano-led success that allows Rob’s voice to shine.

This flows down to the acoustic ballad Fur Coat (Roaming like Animals) which, along with I Watched You, Out From Your Window. Creepy titles aside, both are lovely tunes to chill out to on the grass in One Tree Hill. Finally, Valentine and The Queen City Song are both impressive tracks driven by strong drum beats and Rob’s poignant vocals.

I love this album and haven’t put it down since I bought it. The whole thing sounds so clever and professional for a band that only signed three years ago. These guys deserve to be better known than they are, and if they ever come back to New Zealand I’m snapping up tickets because they’re just as good live as they are in the recording studio.

So do it. Buy Cruel to be Young. Now.

Tracks:

1. Wide Awake
2. Holding On To You
3. Busy Body
4. Paint & Picture
5. Sick In The Teeth
6. Cruel To Be Young
7. Fur Coat (Roaming Like Animals)
8. Valentine
9. Untitled
10. The Queen City Song
11. I Watched You, Out From Your Window

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