Title - American Canyon
Artist - The Jenny Thing
For those unaware, with the All Music Guide describing their sound as Layers of dreamy, atmospheric guitars, and songs crackling with energy, The Jenny Thing has always remained true to their new wave roots.
Formed in 1991 with vocalist Matt Easton, guitarist Shyam Rao, bassist Ehren Becker, and drummer Mike Phillips still in their teens, the band made their first record at Live Oak Studio in Berkeley, California.
Clocking in at less than 25 minutes, The Jenny Things short and sweet Me became the best-selling independent record of the year at Rasputins Music on Telegraph Avenue.
Having become regular headliners at local clubs, The Jenny Thing was soon touring the West Coast on the college radio strength of Closer and Closer to Less, a notably higher budget, higher intensity album released in 1994 by KSS and distributed nationally.
During this time, TJT played clubs from the Bay Areas Bottom of the Hill and Berkeley Square to L.A.s Roxy, Roxbury, and Troubadour, and shared stages with Gin Blossoms, Juliana Hatfield, and The Untouchables.
After playing to a crowd of thousands on the main stage at San Francisco Prides 25th Anniversary, and filming for proto-reality TV show Star Search in Orlando, Florida with Martha Quinn and Ed McMahon - yes, really - The Jenny Thing stopped performing live in 1997.
In 1999 the band quietly released the moody and lush Nowhere Near You, seemingly their swan song.
In 2016 the band reformed and by 2018 had rallied around the electronic, electrified, and ecstatic sound of what was to become their brand new album, American Canyon.
Drawing comparisons to New Order, Peter Gabriel, and Nine Inch Nails, The Jenny Things American Canyon (out June 18th, 2021) feels somehow familiar and wholly other.
1. Paper Angel
2. All In My Head
3. More All The Time
4. American Canyon
5. Aeromedica
6. Lightfield
7. Monsters of Mercy
8. Waiting for the Knife
Having never head of The Jenny Thing before today, it took just the opening chords and vocals of both the atmospheric, lushly orchestrated, early 90s synth pop vibe of both Paper Angel and All In My Head to pull me into their world and want oh-so much more!
Next up is the drum-led, layered vocals of More All The Time which is backed seamlessly with the funky bass synth, electro drum beats and echoed ambiance of the title track American Canyon and then we get the psychedelia, trippy hipsway of Aeromedica, the fervent, foot-tapping energy of Lightfield, with the album rounding out on the harder edged Monsters of Mercy, closing all too soon on the lighter, airy, and at times translucent Waiting for the Knife.
Official Lightfield Lyric Video
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