★☆☆☆☆
“Off to the Races” is the most bland, uninspired pop album to be released in years, much less this year so far - full of uninspired lyrics and even less creative instrumentals.
Out of all ten songs on this album, there’s only one that I know I’ll listen to again. It’s a rough ride.
It was about three songs into “Off to the Races” by Jukebox the Ghost that I knew not only was this album absolutely not for me, and more fitting for a seventh grader’s first foray into the world of alternative music. Trite, overworked instrumentation hums along to vocals that seem equally as uninspired, while Ben Thornewill croons flaccid lyrics that barely touch surface-level concepts of romance.
It’s disappointing, too, because the first song - “Jumpstarted” - is absolutely an excellent track, functioning as effective introduction and dramatic Queen tribute. Thornewill, unlike in several other examples, sounds comfortable with his material and his band. It serves as an example of what this album could have been, and it’s frankly baffling how fast “Off to the Races” goes from interesting and Queen-inspired to soulless beginner’s pop.
It’s clear that the band wanted to pay tribute to late 70s and early 80s rock/pop in many of the songs, “People Go Home” coming across like an extra track from an off-brand animated film (with chord progression that mirrors the intro song for “Foodfight,”) with a nothing chorus “people go to work, and people go home,” that was so aggressively bland I was surprised it came from the same band that made the unique and dynamic “Schizophrenia” only a few years ago.
“Time and I” feels out of place, “See You Soon,” fails to hit any highs and remains a middling song throughout despite what appear to be intentions to create a memorable ballad and “Boring” describes itself perfectly - sounding like a character’s introduction song for a modern musical made exclusively for the stage of a local theater because they couldn’t secure the rights to “Dear Evan Hansen.”
“Simple As 123” is Counting Crows a-la Jukebox the Ghost and it fails to create anything unique or memorable, even with a cavalcade of bells, country guitar and a chorus behind Thornewill’s vocals. It’s this - an attempt after attempt - to create something more that puts this album in such a bad place for me. The music and craftsmanship is one thing, but the vocals come across as something written in a few minutes on a Starbucks napkin on a whim. “Jumpstarted” had raised my expectations, and the rest of the album had destroyed that thought.
The final song, “Colorful,” stands next to “Jumpstarted” as the only thing resembling a good track on the album. To be as frank as possible, if this had just been an EP with those two tracks, I would have a much better time accepting these songs and Jukebox’s new top 40 pop sound.
I wanted to like this album, I truly did, but it has simply too many problems to overlook. Either that, or I expected more from Jukebox the Ghost as a band.
I won’t be making that mistake again.
Stream "Off to the Races" below:
Britton Rozzelle can be reached at musics.spectator@gmail.com.
By Teddy Rankin
For 28 years, Daft Punk pushed the envelope of what was possible in music production. Their recording techniques were often replicated and used in pop music until they came out with something new that restarted the cycle. |
By Hazel Modlin
Students selected for the 2nd phase: Tyler Palumbo, Lindsey Anderson, Ashleigh Bowman, Fabiano Ciminella, Emily Funk, Maria Holubeck, Gabriella Keebler, Audrey MacPherson, Amy Simkovitch, and more. |
Hayley Williams’ new album, “Flowers in Vases,” is a heartbreaking, haunting and melancholic portrayal of a breakup. Let's take a deeper dive into it, song by song. |
By Teddy Rankin
Claud’s debut album, “Super Monster,” is a charming depiction of modern romance. With relaxing low-key pop melodies and heartfelt lyrics, the 21-year-old artist accurately articulates the balance of euphoria and awkward letdowns that define young love. |
By Teddy Rankin
The Spectator staff comes together for a list of tracks they've been enjoying in February 2021. Listen to the playlist via Spotify. |
By Teddy Rankin
Weezer's latest album, “OK Human,” trades electric guitar power chords for orchestral string accompaniment, resulting in a satisfying cinematic experience. |
"Over the last 7 days, there has been an upward trend in our positive cases of COVID-19 among students. Student Health Services has been working diligently to support testing, quarantining and isolation to help minimize the spread."
The English department stated on Facebook that “he had been in the hospital fighting COVID-19 and recently seemed to be making good progress toward recovery.”
“We will continue to follow the science, but we are very hopeful that students can return to in-person classes, living in our residence halls and engaging in more activities.”