Alan Parson Project meets Spocks Beard meets Steely Dan meets Coheed and Cambria? Well, sort of but not. These are some of the musical points of reference one might get from listening to the latest from Philadelphia's Johnny Action Figure, titled Good Eye. Plenty of catchy pop hooks, laid back instrumentation, with the occasional prog & hard rock flourish brought upon by some tasty keyboard & guitar passages. For the most part, this album sinks or swims on the effectiveness of the lead and backing vocals, and you can safely say that no life vests are needed here. Johnny Action Figure deliver layers of addicting lead & harmony vocals that sweep you away almost like classic America, especially on the mostly acoustic "Let Me Guess" or the soaring, piano & sax driven "Julianne". The band even hints at some late 70's Ambrosia on the textured "Barn Stomp", which features some great hooks & impressive guitar work, and the lengthy "Bruises" could be what Porcupine Tree would sound like if Steven Wilson decided to take his band in a purely pop direction.
All told, this is a pleasant little CD that really has no bad tunes, though I'm not sure there's enough 'oomph' here to really latch on to prog rock audiences, other than those who favor slightly adventurous pop & alternative music in their musical diets.
Track Listing
- Phantom Blues 3:38
- Young Rider 3:38
- Manhattan Hymnals 3:15
- Fill Your Tub 4:27
- Until You're Gone 3:25
- Let Me Guess 4:09
- Julianne 3:37
- Barn Stomp 3:28
- Bushkill Hill 3:10
- Social Fabric 4:50
- Bruises 6:36
- Good Eye 5:30
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