Jupiter Watts came together in late 2001, bonding over a shared love for noisy guitar pop songs played at high volume. Not long after forming, the Atlanta quartet recorded its debut album, short wave signals and false alarms, which was released in early 2003 to critical praise in publications both local and national. Reflecting the diverse musical vocabulary of James Trigg and Ramon Wals, the band’s guitarists, singers, and principal songwriters, critics likened the group to sources as disparate as the Jesus & Mary Chain, the Pixies, and the Rolling Stones. In April 2005, Jupiter Watts released its second full-length recording, Let It Lie, on which the band slowed the tempos and expanded its musical palette to include synthesizers, strings and tape loops. Bassist/keyboardist Jared Welsh and drummer Kevin Wallace joined Jupiter Watts in late 2005, and the sound has continued to grow and refract, shooting sparks over here while casting ambient light over there. The band recorded its self-titled third album during the summer and fall of 2006 with Athens, Georgia-based producer David Barbe at Chase Park Transduction Studios. Jupiter Watts is its most fully-realized project to date, at times organic, at times synthetic, at times melodious, at times dissonant. The threads that tie it all together are the hooks that peek out at the most unexpected places, along with the sure-footed vocal harmonies of Trigg and Wals, which aim to soften even the most beastly dins. As the band readies its third album for an April 2007 release, keyboard and horn player Clay Fowler has been added to the lineup, and the group expects to be busy with live dates throughout 2007.
Read more...