It seems like only yesterday (or August) that I was talking to Brooklyn native Jumpiter about his new record Bad God. You remember, it is the one where the vengeful god kills off a guy's girlfriend repeatedly over multiple lives. I hadn't yet gotten everything out of Bad God when Jumpiter, aka Sean Schuyler, informed me that he had a new one. Say what?Like its predecessor, Four Stories Down has the same grungy energy, stabbing guitars and clattering hi-hats. It also doses out lyrics dealing with familiar foes of death, lost love and heartache. Despite the similarities, Four Stories Down is its own album with its own issues to deal with. It plays out like a detective movie with three main events littering its tracks. A couple of kids overdosed, there was a hit and run and then a shootout at a race track. Are these events connected? And what do Sasquatch, Yeti, Siberia, the Stranger Malloy, Robert and the Superintendent have to do with all of it?
Jumpiter's albums are full of songs that are short fun blasts that leave you breathless. The fact that he links them together in an interesting narrative is like icing on the cake or corn starch on the tofu. He tries some different things here: a click track and a countdown stand out, as well as more backing vocals and a few slower moments. But overall, the feeling remains the same. Tell a story, fuzz up and distort the sound and make a record that you can bounce your knee to. While Jumpiter's albums are meant to be listened to as a whole, the stand out tracks seem to be "Robe", "Sideswiped from Behind" and "Bongwater."
Four Stories Down is best served with little pieces of food that you can pop in your mouth as you listen. Some might say M&M's or popcorn but my suggestion would be salt and pepper tofu.
Download Four Stories Down, for free, here. Its price makes it perfect for Buy Nothing Day.
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