When whoever said everything old is new again said it, I'm not sure what they were referring to, but it could just as easily have been popular music as anything else. For the first thirty plus years the goal in pop music was to write a song between two and four minutes in length – ideally just over three – that combined vocal harmonies with a melodic sound and appealed to as broad an audience as possible.
Inevitably the record companies moved in and began trying to package the sound and ended up diluting the product. With the introduction of more and more electronic equipment like drum machines and workstation keyboards, popular music started to turn away from the format that served it so well and became something easy to produce and mass market without much originality or human passion involved.
Thankfully the same technology that was allowing for the mass production of hits was also enabling the do-it-yourself spirit of punk rock to thrive. The development of home computers with the power and sophistication to serve as recording studios has made it even easier for small bands to ensure that their music can be placed in the hands of their fans without being tampered with by those wishing to make them fit into a formula.
One of the newer bands that are showing a proficiency in writing popular songs is Johnny Action Figure. Their newest release, Asks The Room To Please Stop Spinning, is a collection of seven wonderfully crafted pop songs. While they won't change the world or raise any deep philosophical questions about the nature of life, the universe, and everything, they are well written, intelligent, and a whole lot of fun.
What is especially appealing about them musically is the contrasts that appear in their songs. Most bands feel grateful to be able to maintain a consistent style or sound with their compositions. Johnny Action Figure has no problem generating a power pop sound that is less about assault and more about being heard, but what really sets them apart is their vocal harmonies.
They are so spot on and amazing sounding that they balance the aggressive musical sound one always associates with "alternative" pop. They don't even have to pull back on their guitar sound to make the harmonies stand out and smooth the sound out. It's been a long time since I've heard harmonies that work as well together – think of Crosby, Stills, and Nash with out the sappy sentiment, and you'll get an idea of how good they are.
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