Being There review of Sweet Simulacra

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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.

Kaitlin Parker – Texasgigs.com

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When five talented Dallas musicians (Eric Neal, Jeff Jones, Trey Carmichael, Joe Schwartzott, and Chris Holt) combine their powers to become The Jones Thing something slightly magical happens. Their songs are catchy and reminiscent of something you hear on a perfect summer day, or that song that plays in the background of your favorite romantic comedy. “Margaret the Liar” was a crowd pleaser and showcased mad keyboard skills and a killer drum solo. The guys looked perfectly at ease on stage and as they sang, “Everyday another chance to do the right thing.” As they sang, one could not help thinking, “Yes! Do the right thing and buy their CD.”

That comfy old pair… Sweet!!!

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earbuzzlogo4/20/06 UPDATE – We are the Featured Artist Today on earBuzz- Buy the 1st cd for only $5

earBuzz just posted very positive reviews about ‘A Comfortable Pair’ AND ‘Sweet Simulacra’. Granted they are selling the album, but a lot of the other album reviews don’t contain this much praise.

earBuzz Review: The Jones Thing’s 2004 record,”A Comfortable Pair”, is a 13 song lesson in songwriting by one Jeffrey Mark Jones. His style and execution of melody and lyric earns fitting comparisons to XTC and Elvis Costello and vocals that also conjur phrasings of Joe Jackson. The opening track, “Electricitii”, showcases Jones’ falsetto and introduces a band that combines superb guitar playing with drums and bass that are melodic and appropriate for each song. It makes sense that Eric Neal, bassist, is also a guitarist and violinist. The bass lines are as supportive and interesting melodically as any we’ve heard.

Poor Trey Carmichael – what can a drummer do when everyone else is changing instruments except continue playing dependable solid beats. Carmichael shines in the first track as he fits drum flams and fills around Jones’ lyric perfectly. Track 5, “More or Less”, is our favorite. The 6/8 piece, based on the time, automatically peaks interest – but the highlight of the tune is how the vocal harmonies blend into a hypnotic space. Carmichael again shines with a jazzer feel.

Track 8, “We Were Trained”, is a politically tinged wonderfully written tune that describes the decline of the country as ‘our freedoms they conceal. .the end is coming soon. .i’ll ride this train til the end of the line’. Track 9 follows politics with a metaphor of the Saturday morning ritual of cartoon watching, “Saturday Morning TV Action Superstar”. The final track, “Margaret the Liar” is the long mp3 here and another great song. From start to finish, the songs are ripe for the picking and a pleasure.

Buy it on earBuzz!

The Reviews Begin

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Thanks for the plug and shout out Cindy!

More reviews (positive and negative) coming soon.

Here are some fan/friend e-mails:
Mark Pittman sez – Hey, I listened to yer latest last night on my big stereo, and the phrase that kept resounding in my brain was “pure pleasure”. Mixing and mastering helps loads, no? Not that it was bad before, but everything that previously stuck out in a negative way seems to have been smoothed out in the m&m process.

Harvey Barham sez – I’ve had Sweet Simulacra in the car stereo for the past few days and have given it a good listening to. My faves are the title track and FIRST FIVE. The title track is a huge homerun and by far and away the hit single on the record. That chorus is herion-like it’s so addictive. You were smart to make that tune the album opener (for shameless marketing purposes.) I used to think ELECTRCITII or DOWN was your best, but I think this tune has given those a serious run for thier money. As for the song FIRST FIVE, I thought it was one of the better “rockers” on the album. AS per usual, I favor your simpler tunes over the more complex ones. You done good, man. You have every right to be proud.

Wendy Moore sez – I thought the whole album was great. Starting with the title song was a perfect high-energy beginning and ending with the mellow “Hollywooden Dreams” a great way to say good bye. I think the diversity of tunes throughout kept it interesting and the clever and original lyrics always impress me. The vocals on this album blow me away – the melodies and harmonies are great and the range Jeff has is amazing.

The band is truly all-star quality and just makes each of the songs come together nicely. Great music for sure! My fav songs were the title song of course – catchy and energetic; and probably a close second would be “Be Cool” – it starts solid with cool organs and goes into that kick-ass bass line, then continues with Jeff’s awesome voice range, clever lyrics and some really interesting music going on the entire time. It was hard to choose though I really liked them all. Good job on the whole album – I was definitely impressed.

If you have thoughts – positive or negative, send them to me – joneserooni at comcast dot net

Being There – Review of ‘A Comfortable Pair’

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Being There – An online Magazine Reviews ‘A Comfortable Pair’…

Reviewed by Russell Bartholomee

You know when you get a song stuck in your head, and it just won’t leave you alone? You’re trying to sleep and the melody keeps replaying, again and again. You wake up and find yourself humming that cool Moog keyboard part. In the shower, in the car, at work, you keep singing one little snippet of lyrics from the chorus. You know what I mean? That’s been happening to me a lot lately. And it’s Jeff Jones’ fault.

Who’s Jeff Jones? He’s the songwriter for The Jones Thing, the Dallas, Texas-based band whose songs are keeping me up nights. Fortunately for me, his songs are really good, so having them crammed in my cranium isn’t such a bad thing. The Jones Thing’s brand new record is called A Comfortable Pair, and it’s a smashing set of thirteen songs that demands to be played repeatedly. At times reminiscent of XTC, Sugar, and Trash Can Sinatras, the album is full of complex song structures, clever lyrics, and unstoppable hooks.

Besides penning the tunes, Jones plays rhythm guitar and provides the lead vocals—and does both exceptionally. His voice serves the material well and reminds me of a cross between Andy Partridge and whichever guy from The Barenaked Ladies can actually sing.

In spite of what the name may suggest, however, The Jones Thing is not a one-man band. He is joined on the record by band members Trey Carmichael (drums) and Eric Neal (lead guitar, bass, violin, vocals, kitchen sink). Both are veterans of the Dallas music scene, and both bring their considerable expertise to The Jones Thing. Carmichael plays drums perfectly to suit each song, eschewing the showboating that so many others can’t seem to avoid. And Neal’s violin work is only slightly less impressive than his excellent lead guitar work. The rest of A Comfortable Pair’s sonic landscape is filled out with the capable help of friends Chris Cannon and Carter Albrecht on keyboards. (Since the album’s release, bassist Joe Schwartzott and keyboardist Chris Holt have been added to the band’s lineup).

While there is no filler on the record, some songs shine a bit brighter than others. The album’s opener, “Electricitii,” (pronounced ‘electrici-tie’) is a fantastic piece of work, blending jangle-pop guitars with an ultracool keyboard riff that will force your toes to tap. This is the one that rattles around in my head in the wee small hours of the morning. Another stunning song is “More or Less.” Its melody, at first merely gorgeous, becomes breathtaking when the harmony vocals join the chorus. Neal’s lush violin perfectly compliments Jones’ sweeping vocals in “The Theater,” a song that could easily be found on a Trash Can Sinatras album. And there may not be a more hit-worthy song than “Saturday Morning TV Action Superstar,” though I can’t help but wonder if the 80s retro keyboard horn parts would be more effective with live horns.

Lyrically, the album is whip-smart and funny. “Margaret the Liar” describes a girl who never lets the truth get in the way of a good story (“Her ninety nationalities / Fifteen universities / And every job that’s known to man are hers”). Evidently a commentary on the current political landscape, “We Were Trained” is a very successful extended railroad metaphor (“We ride the blinds, conductor / Hides inside his steel caboose / And on the side the flagman’s / Waving no white flag of truce”). Jeff Jones turns a phrase well.

If I have a complaint about this record, it’s only that it could sound even better if this band had a record deal and financing for studio time with a top-notch producer. (Somebody sign these guys). That’s not to disparage the fine work of producer Paul Williams. In fact, for a self-financed independently produced record, A Comfortable Pair is really quite remarkable.

If you like your pop music intelligently written, with accomplished musicianship and hooky melodies that won’t quit, you should pick up this disc. And if we’re lucky, we’ll be able to look forward to further releases by this promising band. I hope so, because as good as A Comfortable Pair is, I’m already jonesing for more.