I want to really love the new Jackpot album, but I just can't. There isn't anything wrong with Shiny Things, but it more or less exactly fails to please lyrically.

First, the album is mostly good. The sound is soft-alterna-rock. Is there such a thing? There is a teaspoonful of Toad the Wet Sprocket, a pinch of Butthole Surfers, and maybe a dash of The Eels. Then again, The Eels were mentioned on the promotional material that arrived with the disc, so maybe I just can't get them out of my head.

The music is solid. With few exceptions, the tracks are very well-produced and deserve repeated listening. There are several standout moments of musical brilliance, and the album delivers a consistently good experience from song to song. The lead singer has an interesting voice that actually ends up being my favorite part of the album.

If the lyrics were sung in French, or any other language I don't know well enough to follow, I think I would enjoy the album thoroughly. Unfortunately, the lyrics are in English, and understanding them does not improve them.

For example, the first song, Far Far Far, has a great chorus and a bit of a Toad The Wet Sprocket sound, but is marred by the first verse. While the Toad song this most reminds me of featured a well-written ficitional lament from a brother of Jesus, Jackpot's singer seems to simply want a hachet so that he can break through the soapy film of his bubble and build a fortress out of mahogany. If that sounds slightly incoherent without the meter and rhyme, it's only marginally better when sung. The chorus is catchy, and the rest of the verses are fine, but I have trouble enjoying the song every time I hear the word "mahogany" inevitably coupled with "free".

Sometimes is the track that makes me think of the Butthole Surfers and their song Pepper every time I hear it, and in this rare case, the lyrical simplicity helps. This simple love song is sweet and enjoyable, even as, or maybe especially as the rhymes seem a little strained. This is also the only song not written by Rusty Miller, which might help.

I don't understand the reasoning behind songs like Psycho Ballerina. I've never gotten involved with anyone fitting that description. It seems I've always recognized the "psycho" part and steered clear, no matter how much of a "ballerina" she was. I don't know if independent musicians are simply more gullible than the rest of us, or if I've just been lucky, but the character seems to be common in independent music. Still, the song works. How could any song fail in which the singer pledges his undying love and commits to stealing a cat to prove it?