JamisonParker

Sleepwalker (2005)

Brian Shultz

The thing that makes the All-American Rejects -- the band JamisonParker bit so hard on their
href="http://www.punknews.org/reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=2420">EP -- tolerable in some aspect is perhaps their bounciness and flow. What makes Number One Fan -- an inarguably similar artist with probably a cloned following -- so tolerable, and at times, enjoyable, is not only their ability to build songs, but nod a bit towards Clarity-era Jimmy Eat World. Sleepwalker is completely void of these details, and most any other redeeming qualities.

"Alcohol & Bandages" opens Sleepwalker up, and it's immediately noticable how high the vocals are in the mix on this particular track. By this process, it's easy to guess there's an emphasis on lyrics at the moment, so why does it sound like the cumulative result of all watered-down, modern day emo pop? Halfway through the absolutely structure-less track, the song breaks into its relying, irritatingly repetitive hook, with the band repeating "Just close your eyes / everything will be okay" ad nauseum until its finish.

The rest of the album they're brought down a bit more, but this seems due to the strength of the vocals themselves. Both Jamison and Parker are awkwardly raspy throughout, making their compositions all the more fitting. The songwriting isn't nearly as groanworthy as "Alcohol" from here on in, but the songs are mostly lethargic, down-tempo, disinteresting, and fail to earn the unique affiliation it seems JP is striving for.

In the least, the duo seems a bit more creative on the arrangements for their debut full-length here. There's some occasionally more atmospheric programming going on that's pretty interesting for their overcrowded genre, but isn't anything special enough to overcome the overwhelming blandess of what makes up a painfully generic, utterly boring album with barely a fraction of incentive for repeated listening.

STREAM
Best Mistake
Goodbyes
Here's To Everything I've Always Meant To Say