The songs comprising Sunshower—produced by the band and noted engineer Chris Ribando (The Black Crowes, Priestbird, Mary J. Blige)—blend contemporary styles with a myriad of classic influences, from Dylan and The Beatles to Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac to The Police and Talking Heads. But you wouldn’t immediately hear them. The band has a knack for combining all of those influences into something utterly vital and wholly their own, as they’ve done on first single “Flaming Arrow,” a shimmering, ringing acoustic folk tune shot through with a bumping bassline and New Orleans inspired drum groove.
Sunshower dazzles on tracks like the dancefloor-friendly “Simple Stones,” filled with handclaps and soulful economic riffing that boasts a bass line for the ages while blending ‘80s Stones and MGMT. The epic opener “Volcano” melds The Beach Boys with The Flaming Lips, while delivering one of the disc’s best choruses. If Ishibashi conjures The Shins on “Find Me a Place,” he drops vintage, finger-picking folk on disc-closer “People in the Mountain.” As guitarist Zac Colwell puts it: “We can sound like Simon & Garfunkel, The Kooks, or even from a webisode of Yacht Rock.”
If they had their way, listeners would ingest each track on Sunshower as they would a new chapter in a never-boring book. Says singer/multi-instrumentalist K Ishibashi, “We approach every song like, ‘Will people be able to listen to this over and over again?’ ”
“Each song is like a little world,” adds Colwell. “We’re the same four guys playing the music on each track, but we just like to get way down in there and explore that little world.”
What K Ishibashi (lead vocals), Zac Colwell (lead guitar), Dave Heilman (drums) and Pat Dougherty (bass) have created as a result is a hook-heavy album tailor-made for our ADD times. And that mix-it-up mentality suits the band, as its songs are written by either Colwell or Ishibashi, each of whom have opposing approaches to lyric and melody.
“K leaves things a little more open for the listener,” says Colwell, who also plays keyboards and flute and adds backing vocals. “I consciously try to have a little narrative, and tell a story.” Counters Ishibashi, who plays guitar and violin in addition to singing lead on Sunshower: “His songs are pretty dark. I write bright, fun stuff, a lot of it stemming from one really big emotional experience. I’m more analytical, more left brain, he’s more right.”
“If there’s a theme to the album, it would definitely be bittersweetness,” Colwell continues.
“There’s definitely some humor, playfulness, but there’s also this twenty-something, we-have-to-temper-our-excitement sort of thing, especially being New Yorkers. Our elation is always checked, and some of the lyrics reflect that.” Bittersweet can be contradictory in terms, but in this case, these four unique personalities colorfully complement one another.
Although officially formed in 2003, the seeds for Jupiter One were planted in 2000 when Austin native Colwell and Ishibashi (raised in Virginia) met while working as touring musicians with a traveling circus, the Barnum Kaleidoscope. Bonding over their love for all music from soul to classical Indian, the duo began performing instrumental music in New York in the early 2000s, gradually working their way toward pop music incorporating vocals, and gigs at Pianos, Arlene’s Grocery and other reputable venues around Manhattan. “We noticed that once we started singing, girls started coming to shows,” laughs Colwell.
A former member of the popular STOMP performance collective, New Jersey-born drummer Heilman, caught an early incarnation of Jupiter One at a now-defunct bar in New York’s Lower East Side. “There was a unique, analog keyboard sound, something you don’t really hear anymore, especially then, in 2004,” he says, “and it just created this incredible sense of nostalgia. It made me feel like the band’s music was already history. It totally felt classic, and it made me sit up on the edge of my seat.” The current incarnation of the band coalesced with the addition of Delaware-raised bassist Pat Dougherty.
Taking its name from the spaceship in the ‘60s television show Lost in Space, Jupiter One made its recorded debut in 2005 with a self-titled EP, three songs from which made the transition—albeit in re-recorded form—to the group’s official self-titled debut album. The songs on Jupiter One scored the band a slew of high-level song-placements in TV and film projects (including the upcoming indie film Broken Windows, MLB Opening Day ‘09, NASCAR Talladega Race ’09 NBC’s Heroes Tribute, and the Sci-Fi channel’s Flash Gordon), as well as a number of video games (Madden NFL ’08, NHL ’08, etc.), and commercials (Payless‘09, Mazda ‘08).
Behind the new wave-inspired Jupiter One, the band members—having quit their day jobs—criss-crossed the States, building a fan base and surviving on Subway’s five-dollar footlong special, laughs Heilman. “We spent 14 months sluggin’ it out in the clubs,” he says. “We did not want to be some sort of boring web sensation. We wanted to meet our fans face to face.” And the work has paid off. “It’s definitely a show we’ve put time into, so it’s not just four guys playing a song, it’s supposed to be a spectacle,” says Colwell.
With producer/engineer Ribando at the controls, Sunshower embraces warmer, analog sounds and vintage recording techniques. “It’s the sound of the four of us playing together, rather than layering in the studio,” says Colwell. “Instead of piecemeal, it’s the way we actually sound live.”
Forgetting the sound for a minute, and thinking about the songs, Ishibashi adds: “We just want people to internalize them. We want Sunshower to be a journey.”
Unglued
Jupiter One Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't even tell the time of day,
They give nothing away,
Reading names of people past,
They're so very close and
Far away,
But who am I to say?
There's big weeping willows,
All around,
Their branches weight them down.
Remember when we,
Came unglued
To float by the window?
The neighbors must have had a laugh
We love to put on a show.
For people who would try to deny
We'll show 'em the pictures.
The only thing that bothers me now
Is why remember it here?
Is it true,
As I walk along the beach
Beside you,
That nothing in the world can
Find you?
Here's to you!
Let the growing of the trees
Remind you,
That everything is now behind you.
Ear against a mausoleum,
Eyes on a broken wristwatch hand
My feet still caked with sand.
Remembering when we
Came unglued
I feel like my heart is beating fast
I can't seem to relax
And people never used to smile
When posing for portraits
It must have been a different time.
No phony, elastic grin.
I feel like that's the real me.
Straight face and a blank stare.
Looking like I never win,
But I feel fine.
Twice in my life I've been sure that
A wall was the edge of the world
The lyrics of Jupiter One’s song Unglued are full of imagery and emotion as the singer reflects on memories, both good and bad. The song opens with a scene set in a cemetery, where the clouds obscure the time of day and names of the deceased are read. The trees in the graveyard are symbolically weighty, signifying the heavy emotions that the singer is carrying. The second verse shifts to a happier memory where the singer and someone else “came unglued” and floated by a window, a scene that they remember fondly despite the possibility of others’ judgment.
The chorus celebrates being present and free from one’s past, and the third verse reverts back to a somber setting where the singer is lying against a mausoleum, contemplating life. The final lines reveal that the singer has felt trapped before, but still feels content with a straight face and a “blank stare,” finding peace in acceptance.
Overall, the lyrics of Unglued deal with the themes of memory and acceptance. Memories can be happy or sad, but they are an integral part of who we are. The chorus reminds us to live in the present and find peace with our past experiences, however difficult they may be.
Line by Line Meaning
Clouds above the cemetery,
The setting of an old graveyard with the sky full of clouds.
Can't even tell the time of day,
The clouds cover up the sun's movements and so the day is indiscernible.
They give nothing away,
There's nothing to be gleaned from the setting as it's just uncommunicative.
Reading names of people past,
The people who passed away are remembered and their names inscribed on gravestones.
They're so very close and Far away,
Juxtaposed with distance, the cemetery is both close and yet remote.
But who am I to say?
Not entirely sure of own authority to remark on this topic.
Trees obscure the borderlines,
Trees block the sight of boundary lines.
There's big weeping willows,
The trees in question are type of willow known for their downward drooping branches.
All around,
The trees encircle the area.
Their branches weight them down.
The branches of the mentioned trees cause them to bow down heavily.
Remember when we,
Recalling a shared, old experience.
Came unglued
Picturing past madness or loss of control.
To float by the window?
Maybe floating or effortlessly glided and feeling outside of oneself.
The neighbors must have had a laugh
Assuming those on the outside found humor in our situation.
We love to put on a show.
We like to perform and present ourselves to others in a certain way.
For people who would try to deny
We do so for those who discredit us in some sense.
We'll show 'em the pictures.
We'll demonstrate proof and evidence of our past experiences.
The only thing that bothers me now
The sole thing currently causing me anxiety or unease.
Is why remember it here?
Why someone may recall such in this setting and what deeper reasons they may have.
Is it true,
Asking if what follows is accurate or real.
As I walk along the beach
While in the process of traversing a sandy shoreline.
Beside you,
Directly next to another person for company.
That nothing in the world can
Feeling safe and comfortable in the presence of another.
Find you?
Not vulnerable to outside harm or disturbance at this moment in time.
Here's to you!
A congratulatory or appreciative statement of sorts.
Let the growing of the trees
The flourishing vegetation around us can serve as a reminder.
Remind you,
Stimulating the recall of something important from the past.
That everything is now behind you.
Having solace in leaving behind former struggles and stressors in life.
Ear against a mausoleum,
The side of one's head pressed up against an above-ground tomb in a cemetery.
Eyes on a broken wristwatch hand
Looking at the watch and seeing that it is malfunctioning.
My feet still caked with sand.
The bottommost parts of one's body are still swathed in small particles of earth.
Remembering when we
Recurring memories of a similar occurrence.
Came unglued
When life seemed chaotic and confusing.
I feel like my heart is beating fast
Experiencing intense feelings in response to the present or past.
I can't seem to relax
Having some difficulty regaining a sense of peace or calmness.
And people never used to smile
In times gone by, people did not frequently smile in photographs.
When posing for portraits
When means of preservation of one's likeness were initiated.
It must have been a different time.
Assuming that the past must have been dissimilar and holding different values or customs than the present.
No phony, elastic grin.
A sincere, unforced expression on one's face without appearing too flexible or fake.
I feel like that's the real me.
Perceiving one's authentic self and feeling comfortable with it.
Straight face and a blank stare.
A countenance without emotion or animation.
Looking like I never win,
Appearing to be unsuccessful and having difficulty in life.
But I feel fine.
Despite previous misfortune, one still feels content or at ease with one's life.
Twice in my life I've been sure that
Two times in the past, an individual was very confident that...
A wall was the edge of the world.
A physical barrier created by a wall seemed to be the end or limit of existence.
Contributed by Jake H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Abbudoio
Nostalgy ... There's a piece of FIFA 08 in all of us
@user-ym8we8eq1c
только подумал об этом
@leonardolarocca1999
dzebro69 FIFA is the only reason to make me feel high with this songs
@nathanstimpson8275
Yeah I spent all day trying to remember y i know this song
@savgreenup1263
@@nathanstimpson8275 fr same
@thejerkismine
hell yea bro!!\
@cargustopa
How I miss you 2007 ... I am already 40 years old but I would like to go back to that time :-( This song makes me nostalgic and goes back to those years.It's amazing how time goes by so we should not waste any moment .. Greetings, I love you all!
@WWC_fight_club
40 is just a number it’s not to late man don’t get caught up in time my friend :)
@anthro96
crazy how time flies. Im 25 now, basically the age you were when you were playing this game. The memories I have playing this game in 07 are timeless though, for me and for all of us. I was only 11.
@JDS07
I'm only 14 but this is nostalgic for me. 2007 was my birth year but I played FIFA 08 from 2011 to 2017 on the PS2. This soundtrack was something different, completely unrivalled