Sam Rich
Staff Writer
From heartfelt ballads to upbeat love songs, Jukebox The Ghost’s new self-titled album displays the indie-rock bands potential.
“Jukebox The Ghost” is an outstanding album with lyrical depth, powerful instruments, and strong emotion. Various moods and themes like happiness, heartbreak, and love shed light on the band members’ lives which makes the songs relatable.
Ben Thornewill on keyboard , Tommy Siegel on guitar, and Jesse Kristin on percussion formed their first band together, The Sunday Mail, together while studying at George Washington University and went on hiatus until getting back together in 2006 to form Jukebox The Ghost.
Before their most recent album, the band released “Let Live and Let Ghosts”, “Everything Under the Sun”, and “Safe Travels”. Their most well-known performances were at Lollapalooza and on the Late Show with David Letterman.
The band writes their own lyrics derived from their personal relationships which reflects positively on the quality of their music. Although they might not always be true stories, the lyrical depth gives the album with a more sincere tone. For example, in the track “Sound of a Broken Heart,” Thornewill showed the depth of his love for a girl by saying “I think I’m gonna love you until the day that I die”.
In their love ballads, Thornewill uses his keyboard to set the tone for heartache and disappointment with soft and slow chords, allowing the listeners’ focus to be directed towards the lyrics. It is proven most effective in “Show Me Where It Hurts” and “Undeniable You” by closing out the album by showing the sincerity and wholeheartedness of the album.
“When The Nights Get Long” uses background vocals and solid drums throughout to enhance the song’s smooth and mellow tone. Also, the song reveals how the writer loves someone and wants to tell the world and make that person’s life worth something.
With upbeat clapping and differing piano tempos, “Hollywood” stands out significantly. The song talks about how people often expect their relationships to be similar to those in movies.
“Made For Ending” is about modern romance and how the writer’s relationship wasn’t meant to be. The upbeat guitar chords and steady drum beat makes it an optimistic sounding song about failed love and how he “should’ve known right from the start”.
“Long Way Home” is a ballad about friendship and wondering if your current friends will stick with you. Starting out with slow guitar chords, the song changes to a happier tune when soft drums are added. Siegel and Thornewill’s tune is refreshing because it isn’t about love.
“Jukebox The Ghost” was released on October 21 and is available digitally and in retail for $9.99.
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