JJ72 - I To Sky

Pretentious, moi? Why, yes, Mark Greaney, you are a little bit. But
of course, Mr Greaney will happily admit that himself. In fact, he'll
stick up - no, down right FIGHT - for pop music's right to be just
that. Deep, meaningful, emotional, dark and, yes, just a little bit
pretentious - that's what pop music is meant to be. That's how the
front-man of Irish lovers of the grandiose, JJ72, sees it. Care to
disagree?

One listen to 'I To Sky', the sophomore effort of Greaney, drummer
Fergal Matthews and now-departed bassist Hilary Woods, and you'd be a
fool to say he's wrong. Taking inspiration from poets like Walt Whitman
and Fernando Pessoa, Greaney tackles big themes here. It's clear that
religion is one of them from the cover, which features ancient
Christian symbols, but this is far more a spiritual record than an
overtly religious one. 'Brother Sleep' is about death; 'Oiche Mahalth'
wonders about an afterlife ("Nobody knows where we'll go"); but this is
an album that celebrates hope through the sadness. Epic seven-minute
track 'Sinking' may appear desperately painful ("and you sink further
into yourself/when you sink, wanting to be someone else") but then
offers that essential optimism with the line, "these windows are
guarded by the angels".

The big themes of life, love, death and the thereafter are matched by
'Formulae', a celebration of the everyday, and album-opener 'Nameless'
is an ode to lost love.

The flamboyance - ok, pretentiousness - shines through in mentions of
"mansions in the sky" and "chariots of fire", but essentially the
lyrics (delivered in Greaney's trademark operatic falsetto - big voice
for a tiny fella) are backed up with fuckin' great Tunes. Meaty
riff-age ends 'Formulae' on a high, scuzz guitars show up on 'I Saw a
Prayer' and 'Half Three' is perfect pop.

The violins of their self-titled debut may be gone, but they haven't
lost any of what makes them vital. Go on, you doubters, buy 'I To Sky'
and let them prove you wrong.