Jetty Boys - Sheboygan

Let me assert something unequivocally before I lapse into random criticism and short-sighted bile spewing: The Jetty Boys sure seem like a good band and Sheboygan definitely has some songs that are definitely, if I may be so clinical, catchy as fuck. Which begs the question as to what about it/them rubs me so much the wrong way. It may be that I'm looking at it from a pop-punk perspective. More than a lot of a bands, I think that Jetty Boys are a power-pop band. That's not a bad thing at all, but once you have Cheap Trick, The Figgs or Fastbacks in your life, you don't really need much more, at least from where I'm sitting. That said, Sheboygan has a gang of great pop songs on it, with hooks galore. I give to you I'm Not The One or St. Patrick's Day. I hear a bit of Ultimate Fakebook and a lot of Gin Blossoms, especially in the vocals. In drilling down, I think it's really the vocals that are sticking in my craw. They are just a little too smooth for my taste. Again, far, far from bad, just a little too radio friendly. I love all the aforementioned bands, and pop pablum like Matchbox 20 and Third Eye Blind as well, so frankly I can't see why this record isn't setting my world on fire like the House Boat record has recently. Maybe it's old age and bitterness rearing it's ugly head. Either way, if you are enough of a genre purist to like power-pop over pop-punk, The Jetty Boys and Sheboygan will definitely be a big deal for you. Members of that camp should pop (ha!) on over to Rally Records and snatch this bad boy up stat. You could do a whole lot worse. I think I like my pop a little snottier, but will still probably check out The Jetty Boys out when they roll through Fontanas next month. Here's hoping they dirty it up a bit live.

R