JJAMZ
Los Angeles, CA
Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis, Phantom Planet
I cannot express how good their single “Heartbeat” is. Based on the strength of this one song, you need to explore whatever JJAMZ you can get your hands on, which as of last week, is their full album Suicide Pact.” These guys have everything that a good band should have: a great girl singer, danceable music, guitar solos, impeccable timing, and lyrics that everyone should be able to relate to. Take “Heartbeat” for instance – it’s instantly connectable with Z singing “I haven’t loved you in a long, long time/ thought I hated you a long, long time/ if you break my heart one more time, I won’t ever be the same.” I guess the only way you could not like this band is if you didn’t have a pulse or never loved/hated someone.
One of the reasons for the impeccable timing of this band is the fact that these guys and girl are all experienced music biz players. By timing I mean the steady flow of shows, videos and announcements from the initial stating of “we got inspired at karaoke, and now we’re a band” to their upcoming debut album – which seemed well thought out and always kept me interested. Get ready for the hook: each person in this band is in another popular band. Let’s go down the list! J – Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley, Jenny and Johnny, Conor Oberst), James Valentine (Maroon 5), Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet), Michael Runion (Michael Runion) and Z Berg (The Like). Maybe it takes years of touring to produce a band that hits all the right notes? Either way, you should start getting excited because JJAMZ’s debut record, Suicide Pact, came out on July 10. See them across the nation on tour with Neon Trees.
