Sweet and simple in one track, wild and audacious in another, the beats that we find scattered throughout Jupiter in Velvet’s Anthems 2 Love are as essential to the creation of a mood as any of the other components here are, but in tracks like the smooth-rocking “If Not Peace… (Then it’s War),” they play a larger role than one might expect them to. There’s as much to learn about the emotionality of Jupiter in Velvet’s music through the cautious rhythm of songs like this one, “The Greatest Gift” and “We Are All One,” which together form a patchwork of artistry that might be the most intriguing of any this artist has offered us to date. He’s come a long way in the last seven years or so, and his progress is on full display in this latest release.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/JupiterInVelvet/
Beats aside, the substance of the melodies in “A Cooler Shade of Mad,” “Stand Up” and “Forever & a Day” is perhaps even more expressive than their individual lyrics are, which isn’t to dismiss the content of Jupiter in Velvet’s poetry at all. If anything, there’s a two-sided conceptualism to this record that doesn’t let us focus on one area over another for very long, and while it’s a slightly experimental effort by today’s standards, this could well be what makes Anthems 2 Love such a unique and fun EP. Jupiter in Velvet isn’t trying to win anyone’s favor here; he’s simply trying to impart homespun narratives skewed with one thrilling harmony after another.
I would be really interested to hear how “The Greatest Gift” and “If Not Peace… (Then it’s War)” sound in a live setting, if for no other reason than to see how they would be arranged for the stage. There’s a certain complexity to these two songs that isn’t as obvious in the other compositions here, and I think that if Jupiter in Velvet saw fit, he could easily manipulate them into extended jams or minimalist exhibitions without straying too far from the melodic center they share. I’ve got similar sentiments when it comes to “Forever & a Day,” but unlike the aforementioned songs, it doesn’t have quite the loose-fitting construction that would be required for live expansion.
Jupiter in Velvet turns in another white-hot indie set with Anthems 2 Love that lives up to all of the hype surrounding its release and then some, and while it’s not the first record this brand has cut to critical adulation, it possesses a particular postmodernity that I hope to hear a lot more of in Jupiter in Velvet’s future. Western music is in the midst of a grand transformation that goes well beyond the aesthetical framework we’ve all come to associate with pop and rock, and I think the future will likely be created out of the independent works of artists like this one as 2019 shifts in 2020. Anthems 2 Love is a satisfying listen if you like unsophisticated melodies, and these days, they’re sadly becoming all too difficult to find.
Troy Johnston