Being the type of person who both writes about Japanese music and owns the Carl Sagan – Glorious Dawn 7″ vinyl, I fall squarely within Avengers In Sci-Fi’s target audience of indie rock science nerds.
Musically, Jupiter Jupiter is a danceable indie-rock record – in line with Vola & The Oriental Machine and with the usual list of influences (Franz Ferdinand etc.). Lyrically, this is a space-nerd’s dream album. With song titles like, “Universe Universe”, “Hyper Space Music” and “Ursa Minor” how could it be anything else?
The highlight of Jupiter Jupiter is the boundless enthusiasm of the band. Each song is imbued with a sense of joy and wonder. Perfect harmonies belt out, “Universe! Universe!” on the lead single, then grow into a shouting chant of “Space! Space!”
Alongside all the nerdy stuff, Avengers in Sci-Fi make some very solid indie-rock. Nothing wildly original, but the hooks are fantastic and each song is memorable and distinctive. “Monkey Bites The Sun” sounds, from moment to moment, like Number Girl, Art-School, Blur and even Polysics while “Symphony Of The End” is softer and features Cornelius like harmonies and a church organ. Avengers In Sci-Fi’s influences are easy to see, but they sure know how to make a great album.
Did you want to be an astronaut when you were ten years old? Did you have glow-in-the-dark solar-system stickers on your ceiling? If so, this album is for you. Even if you think you’ve grown beyond your space-dreams, I bet you can’t watch the video for “Universe Universe” without grinning like a kid again.
Video:Universe, Universe
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