JJ72 - JJ72 > Reviews > It's a Sin

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Not applicable
Value for Money

Advantages:	see op
Disadvantages:	see op

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Ø Introduction.
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JJ72 consist of three members – Mark Greaney, Fergal Matthews and Hilary Woods. The band started off when the male members of the group decided to get together and play in a band Mark is the lead singer as well as being the guitarist and songwriter and Fergal is the drummer. The boys were without a bassist and after seeing Hilary perform in a school production of Sweeney Todd they asked her to join and it formed the beginnings of a great band!

*Mark Greaney – Lead vocals, guitar and songwriter.

Mark played the violin from an early age giving him the chance to get more familiar with music and consequently became the songwriter he is today. Influences is his writing are said to include Nirvana and the Manics.

*Fergal Matthews – Drums.

Fergal was the one who approached Mark about forming a band and apparently at the time he had only had one drum lesson!

*Hilary Woods - Bass

Hilary’s first passion was strangely enough ballet and as well as being able to play the bass (very well may I add) she can also play the piano which can also come in handy for the band.

And so the band JJ72 was formed!

Ø The releases.
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In 1999, JJ72 released their first hit “October Swimmer” which gained them respect from many people. After the debut hit, “Snow” was then released. “Long Way South” was then next followed by “Oxygen” which gave JJ72 their first TOTP’s appearance. JJ72 then released their debut album “JJ72”. This fame that began to grow for the band caused the re-release of the tracks “October Swimmer” and “Snow”. It was only when these tracks were re-released that I actually noticed them. A friend of mine pointed October Swimmer out to me and it began from there. I must admit that this really wasn’t my sort of thing but I really liked the sound of JJ72.

The re-releases became very popular and more TOTP’s appearances followed. “Algeria” has also been a release since their success but I am not sure of its chart position, as it seemed to vanish.

JJ72’s debut album have spawned many good hits whilst gaining new fans with each release. Fans are waiting in anticipation for the second album, which is expected to begin recording around September time and it is expected that the album will be released in January next year so lets wait and see if it will carry on the success of this album.

Ø The Album Tracks.
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 October Swimmer. [3:24]

Beginning with a rather simplistic guitar melody, the song gradually gains more pace and texture as the vocals, bass and drums are added which lead into a rather dramatic chorus. The re-release of this song as I said was what got me hooked on this band. The chorus like many songs is what makes the track and this is no exception. What I like about the song is the varying degree that is used to create an atmosphere within the song. It uses great dynamics in the song and the different elements in the song such as the vocals from Mark complete the song well. I enjoy listening to this track each time that it seems over too quickly! 9/10

 Undercover Angel. [3:46]

Beginning with a nice intro from the guitar, the song intro is a more Travis sounding with a string section included as well as a melodic feel. Mark sings with more emotion in this song especially in the bridge which leads into another rather climatic chorus. The re-occurrence of the next verse is a good example of change as the voice is doubled adding contrast and unity at the same time. 6/10

 Oxygen. [3:43]

Another great introduction to a yet another great song, the guitar uses simple chords to begin this song and then Mark joins in with his nasal yet relaxing vocals. Again a pattern seems to be emerging when it comes to a JJ72 track, the song verses are usually a lot quieter and relaxed than the chorus which is often fuelled with anger or emotion. The song has a nice instrumental break where the string section is more obvious and then also in the final few moments of the song which is a nice change as it slides up and down the scales depicting a falling feather which gives the listener a absolute finish to a great song. 9/10

 Willow. [4:25]

The longest track so far, Willow offers a more or less complete gentle track as the chorus is much more in keeping with the verses and the string accompaniment especially from the cello is really good in this track. This song is more reflective and the guitars are much more melodic and gentle in this song which compliment the string section and the softer vocals from Mark which add a bit of an edge. 8/10

 Surrender. [4:13]

I like the beginning to this track. As well as another good guitar part, the song has an eerie spooky sound which whirs throughout the song. I like this song as it has a nice section that gradually creeps up the scale thus allowing there to be a climax to the cool chorus. The vocal has a reverb added to it allowing it to gel (got that from Helen Big Bruv!) with the other elements within the song. The song has a nice repeated melody through out which is then echoed in the end of the song producing an artificial feedback from the amp. 7/10

 Long Way South. [2:53]

This is another one of my faves. This song begins with a really cool drumbeat which I like and then is joined with the guitar and vocal parts. The chorus is once again rather catchy and the song is overall great to listen to. Mark uses his voice here in a rather breathless nature which creates more texture within this song. 8.5/10

 Snow. [3:26]

Another favourite of mine, this song is rather emotive as the vocals express this well. The same pattern is evident once again as the chorus gains ‘fuel’ when it gets there and the emotions start to run once more. All instrumental parts are played well once again. At first, I didn’t really like this song as I thought it was too angry but it did really grow on me and I think it is sometimes misunderstood, I get angry when it doesn't snow when the weather man said it would do you? Lol. 9/10

 Broken Down. [5:11]

This song is also good. It has a long drawn out intro which involves total silence this idea reflects the theme of the song and makes you wonder if your CD player is still working. The song eventually begins after about 20 seconds and it is another mellow track. The guitar accompaniment is good as it follows the vocal part in the song. The lead singer screeches at parts and the guitar reflects this in its playing. I quite like this song as it is rather different to the general ideas of music as it is rather strange. 8/10

 Improv. [2:57]

The introduction to this track is very Manic’s in nature as it is reminiscent of You stole the sun form my heart. I like this song, it is mellow and has a great guitar part once more. Mark sounds a lot like a girl in this track which is rather strange once more… I wonder if anyone calls him a she? Lol He uses dynamics well in this song creating more emotion and textures. 7/10

 Not Like You. [3:38]

This tempo and rhythm tends to reflect a carousel ride, which moves up and down. This song is another one of those easy listening tracks, which is once again good to listen to. The problem with this song is Mark sings “Please Love Me” a few times in the song but who can take him seriously when he sings like a girl? The melody is really good in this song and I so tend to think that this song would song better with a different style of vocals as I don’t feel they gel as well as they could.

 Algeria. [3:23]

The last release form this album, Algeria is another one of those catchy tracks which deserved to be released. I think that this angry chorus is much more rock influenced than any other genre for this song as it is more reliant on the instruments such as the drums. This song is catchy and all together is a good loud track. 8/10

 Bumble Bee. [4:22]

The ending to a good debut, the strangely entitled BumbleBee offers a soft mellow first verse which then really explodes into a great chorus. The guitars play a rather tinny riff at the start of the song and then the vocals are introduced. It is the guitar that builds up the song to the chorus and then things just explode. This song isn’t a potential release in my view but it is a great ending. 7.5/10

Ø The Verdict.
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This album is a superb debut album for a potential big band of the future, JJ72 enjoyed a lot of fame in 2000 and I’m sure it will carry on in the future! I can’t wait to hear the second album when it comes out! The songs on a whole have many influences and the nearest I could place JJ72 to would be Placebo as it is Marks voice which relates most to the lead singers of Placebo. Mark’s nasally voice is what makes his vocals so distinctive and also he line up which includes a female bassist who is quite hot adds to the whole shebang. This is a great debut album if ever I heard one! 8/10

Ø Other Non-Album Tracks.
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As well as these great hits, I have found about 10 more great JJ72 tracks that include various B-sides from the albums. Some of these tracks in my view are better than some of the album tracks. Here’s the listing in case you want to track them down and have a listen.

*Astoria – A nice Travis type track.

*Earthly Delights - Another great track which I think should be on the album.

*Black Eyed Dog – I like the introduction to this song especially.

*Desertion – Another good track would should have been on the album

*Blood tests – A great intro with good beats and a more raw sound.

*Gherkin – A great track another album should have

*Wounded – A relaxing song

*Guidance – One of my faves out of the non-album tracks a definite fave. A definite should have

*It’s a Sin – A cover of an Erasure hit. With the influx of covers at the moment, this would have done well. One of my recent favourite covers.

*Fresh Water – A nice instrumental track well worth a listen.

After finding out there were ten other track by JJ72, nearly another album sort of, I set out to listen to them and to my surprise, some of them were better than some of the album tracks! Go and have a listen for yourself!

JJ72 are a great fresh band and I cannot believe how young they are! I have spent hours on this opinion, more than I expected so I hope it was worth it and hope you all enjoyed reading it.

:) Mike.