Track Listing

1. No Good
2. Get Steady
3. Outside
4. Breaking Down
5. Cliche
6. Lost My Mind
7. Diamonds & Roses
8. Everybody's Trying To Break You Down
9. Love Conspiracy
10. Something About It
11. Miraculous Sky
12. Do It AGain
13. B-Side
14. Secret

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #319791 in Music
• Released on: 2007-03-06
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Their lush and dirty, glossy and gritty Lower East Side sound blares with an urgency that'll push you out of the way if you don't move with it. Hailing from the same scene that championed The Strokes, The Mooney Suzuki, Fountains Of Wayne, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jonny Lives! takes cues from Brit-pop, rhythm 'n' blues, and the Lower East Side punk scenes of the 60's and 70's, updating it with unbridled, anthemic rock.

Customer Reviews

If He Lives or Dies, Who Cares?
I wanted to like Get Steady from Jonny Lives. The quote from The Village Voice on the CD cover promised "Post-Radiohead pop/rock with teaming guitars and airy vocals," and went on to tell me that I "owe it to [my]self to see them." They even have an impressive line-up of special guests including Nick Valensi of The Strokes. And then there's the cover art, featuring the band in white tuxedos at a full-course banquet meal on the walkway of the Brooklyn Bridge. I couldn't tell whether or not it was Photoshopped, but it's a cool idea nevertheless.

So, I eagerly listened to the first couple of tracks, "No Good" and the title track, "Get Steady" and noticed the slick production, aggressive guitar riffs, simple chord structures and decent vocals. But nothing jumped out at me. Nothing was particularly interesting, no lyrics profound jumped out.

In fact, the title track is particularly sophomoric despite its slightly ironic take on the misogynistic behavior of guys with newfound success: "I don't need no cheap success, I'm ready I'm ready, get steady, get steady. Fools like us could live like kings, I'm ready, I'm ready, get steady, get steady." Rhyming ready and steady isn't that creative in the first place, so why do it twice? Thinking of all the indie acts with brilliantly tortured lyrics who starve in the street instead of getting record deals makes me wonder how these guys ever got signed.

But I kept listening. The next few tracks did nothing for me, except occasionally remind me of my old Everclear and Blur albums from the 90s. Once they even caught a bare fraction of the funk-rock of the Chili Peppers. Unfortunately, it's all ground that those bands cover far better than Jonny Lives. Until I got to "Cliche." OK. If you're going to name a song "Cliche," you'd better make sure it's a darn good song and NOT at all cliched. Sadly, Jonny Lives failed again.

There is one almost redeemable track on this album, "Everybody's Trying to Break You Down," which has some interesting minored-sounding chords. Except for the lyrics, which rip off The Doors: "I said babe, we can't get much higher."

Altogether, this album is completely forgettable. If this is how Jonny lives, he'd better get a life.

Get steady
New York indie-rockers Jonny Lives! make their full-length debut in "Get Steady" (not to be confused with the "Get Steady" EP). They let loose with a brand of raucous, wild rock'n'roll that takes basic Britpop-inflected rawk'n'roll, and adds a punky edge. They're not as steady in folky balladry, but they are solid when the bass'n'guitar are roaring.

It opens with a slightly squawky bassline, which sounds like it's being filtered through an old radio. Then frontman Jonny Dubowsky starts with a tale of : "I'm laughing at the words you speak/spread the ashes of everyone's troubles/all over the floor/because I just can't take it!" It launches off into a solid pop-rock tune with plenty of catchy, powerful riffs.

They continue that sound with a series of catchy, punky-edged rock songs, with the circular Britpoppiness of "Outside," the raw sound of the title track, the R&B-ish flavour of "Love Conspiracy," and the sneering attitude of hard-rocking "Cliche." Raw riffs and driving basslines abound, and surprisingly they keep sounding pretty fresh.

But it's not all catchy. Jonny Lives tries out some slower, more experimental stuff here and there, like they're testing the water. "Breaking Down" is an acoustic guitar ditty, which sounds quite restrained compared to the rock numbers. And "Do It Again" is an unseen highlight on this album -- a slow, fuzzy pop gem.

Jonny Lives is one of those bands that doesn't sound like anyone in particular -- there are moments of classic punk, Britpop, and even the gritty sound of the New York City music scene. Since New York is a bit short on new indie music for the moment, this is a welcome release.

It may take a few listens to "get" this album. At first listen, the circling guitars and bass sound repetitive, and in a few of the songs they do get rather tiring. But once you've heard it a few times, the layered guitars and vocals start to grow on you. Sometimes it's simple punk-flavoured rock, and sometimes it dabbles into something a bit more complex.

The lyrics are what you'd expect -- tales of girlfriends, love conspiracies, and prepping for the music biz. "I don't need no cheap success!" Dubowsky snarls in one of the songs. He has a good voice -- he can rise over the dirty riffs without being drowned out, and can croon fairly well over the softer songs.

Summertime is traditionally a time for pop music, but try the catchy rock of Jonny Lives instead, this summer. Slightly raw, a bit punky, but still catchy enough to dance to.