Being There review of Sweet Simulacra

Canadian Magazine Being There‘s review of the new cd!

Reviewed by Russell Bartholomee
Four out of Five Stars

When I reviewed The Jones Thing’s debut album ( A Comfortable Pair ) a couple of years back, I said that Jeff Jones’ ability to write great hooks and infectious melodies was keeping me up at night. Now that I’m finally getting enough rest, the band goes and releases its follow-up record, Sweet Simulacra . Like the first record, it’s both catchy as hell and eloquently written. And happily, the sound of the record is a vast improvement over the debut. As good as the songwriting was the first time around, a couple of the tracks needed a little more polish to really shine. On Sweet Simulacra , Jones and co-producer Paul Williams have raised the production values up to the high level of the band’s performances and Jones’ songwriting.

The title track sets the tone for the whole record. It’s a tongue-in-cheek tirade against a musical culture where the same formula has been copied and recopied so many times that we’ve forgotten what the original even sounded like. Like a photocopy of a reproduction of a photograph of the Mona Lisa, something essential has been lost in the translation. “Sweet simulacra / you’re giving me a sugar pill that’s really made of saccharine and…nothing real except the swill it’s killing me it’s killing me…” Throughout the disc, the lyrics have a bitter-yet-whimsical bite that brings Elvis Costello to mind.

The songs are mostly upbeat and rhythmically irresistible (especially the title track and “First Five”). Even when they venture into more mid-tempo tunes, the album never drags. Perhaps the strongest song on the record is the very moving “Anymore,” with its glorious harmonies and lilting guitar line. The band has never sounded tighter. The interplay between Eric Neal’s lead guitar and Jones’ rhythm guitar is mesmerizing while Jeff vocally channels his inner Andy Partridge. Joe Schwartzott’s bass playing is melodic and fluid, Trey Carmichael’s drumming precise and absolutely tasteful, and Chris Holt’s keyboards add levels of texture missing from most guitar-based pop music (check out the killer organ work on “Ego”). And don’t let the title fool you. Unlike the sugar substitute on the album cover, the sound of the record is pleasant and sweet, and there is real substance underneath.