Oranjuly
Oranjuly
2010
The worst part of peaking as an musician is not knowing that it’s happening. You can’t really tell you’ve reached your personal artistic summit until you’re already stumbling down the wrong side of the mountain. When you get to that point, all you can think about is trying to scramble back to the top. Guess what? This side of the mountain is much steeper. It’s colder. It’s covered in oil. And broken glass. And bees. It’s also protected by a dragon. Good luck getting back to the top, buddy.
I’m here to inform Mr. Brian King of Oranjuly that he may want to enjoy his moment at the top of Pop Mountain*. It’s all downhill from here. There’s just no way he and his band can top this self titled record. I’m sure they’ll try. In fact, I’m pretty sure Oranjuly will make some more darn good records. But I’m not fooling myslef, they ain’t making another record this good.
The songs on Oranjuly are crafted to pop perfection. For thirty-three minutes Mr. King’s tunes manage to call to mind Brian Wilson, Wings, Todd Rundgren, Ben Folds and Weezer (before they found Rick Rubin). The production is stellar. Oranjuly pulls out every pop trick in the book without making it sound like they’re pulling out every pop trick in the book. No afterthoughts or gimmicks. There’s nothing but pure love for the song on display here.
So, Mr. King, enjoy the rest of your day. You’ll be fighting dragons soon.
Where to get it:
*Ok, so it turns out Pop Mountain is a real place in Connecticut. It’s only 351′ high. That’s more like a hill. In no way do I mean this to belittle the accomplishments of Brian King or his band, Oranjuly. Pop Mountain sounds a lot more majestic than it actually is, I guess.
