Context – window shopping

I CAME FOR THE CARTOON COVER AND PLAN ON STAYING HERE FOREVER!  FOREVER I TELL YOU!

AJR is my new life blood.  They are my summer jamz.  They are everything my brothers and I failed to be as young adults.  Forget the fact that I can’t sing and can barely play my guitar.  I have a vision and I should have seen it through.

These guys are so clever with the way they incorporate familiar tunes that I can’t quite put my finger on but still recognize.  “Call My Dad” has some nods to The Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B”, “Bud Like You” is something I can’t name but know (probably a Disney tune, feels Disney as fuck, anyway), and even songs like “Sober Up” and “The Good Part” have melodies that are heavily borrowed from things I can’t quite wrap my brain around.

But that isn’t to say these are two-bit covers.  These are creative and delightful re-imaginings of pop-hooks.  These three knuckleheads understand pop music in a way that they can play around with all of this familiarity and joy but still sound like themselves.  They don’t hold themselves down to a particular style or shtick, playing around with everything from The Beach Boys to varying shades of EDM to like, I don’t know classical music?  There’s a lot here to digest and pick apart if I care to.

At the moment, though, I don’t care to.  I just want to keep living in wonderland.  I’ll get all heady and introspective about this later, probably, maybe, almost certainly.

I haven’t been this excited for pop music since 1989 or something.  I just want to dance and spread the good word of AJR to everybody.  I just want everything to be this delightful all the time always.

Too much excitement for one post.  For one doge meme.  For anything, really.  We’ll see how they hold up to repeated listenings.  I’ve already started by replaying the album as I write this blog.  It’s still so good.  SO GOOD Y’ALL.  AJR 5EVAR!