Live Review: Jukebox the Ghost

Jukebox the Ghost (Photo: Evelyn Anne Clausen)

Live Review: Jukebox the Ghost, February 4, 2011, The Tabernacle, Atlanta
by Evelyn Anne Clausen

Some bands are so good at crafting music in a studio that their live performances simply don’t live up to the careful production of their recordings. Other bands are fine recording artists, but excel at live performance in a way that a recorded album simply can’t capture. Jukebox the Ghost falls into the second category- a band who must be heard live to truly be appreciated.

Opening for Guster this past Friday at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Jukebox the Ghost came out strong and played an excellent set, mixing in old and new songs and one weirdly delightful cover of Donna Lewis’s 1996 soft-pop hit, “I Love You Always Forever,” complete with somewhat coordinated dance moves.

While the band’s most recent album, Everything Under the Sun, was a sugary confection of high-energy nerd-rock, their live set was much more subdued, grungy and interesting than anything they’ve recorded. My biggest problem with Everything Under the Sun was its lack of originality, its seeming insistence on sounding alternately like Ben Folds, Bowie or They Might Be Giants.

In contrast to that effort, Jukebox the Ghost live had not just a sound of their own but a unique, quirky stage presence that convinced me that this band does in fact have something new to say.

The crowd, who seemed mostly not to know who this opening band was, quickly got into the music, and the band’s great stage presence had them laughing, dancing and even singing along to their cover song.

I left this show not only impressed, but assured that Jukebox the Ghost has much more to offer than what we’ve seen so far. Next time they come to town, I’ll definitely be getting a ticket.

Editor’s Note: Evelyn Anne Clausen is a contributor to DeadJournalist.com. Her reviews can be seen on this site on a regular basis. You can follow her on Twitter @evelynanne or via her Web site easbrain.com.