Cali quartet Jackpot plays pop music

France’s Les Rock Magazine says that Jackpot, a below-the-pop-radar Californian quartet, is “quite simply the best rock band in the world right now.” It’s not the best rock band in the world, but if the band’s new album Shiny Things is any indication, the band isn’t all that bad, either.

Shiny Things is an album chock-full of catchy melodies with the same sensibilities as fellow California brethren Sugar Ray, Phantom Planet and Jackpot’s old touring partner, Cake.

However, Jackpot doesn’t have the absolute never-heard-anything-like-’em uniqueness that gained Cake a level of underground appreciation, nor the right-style-at-the-right-time luck of Sugar Ray to gain nationwide exposure.

The album shows that Jackpot is a band capable of playing with different styles of music – the sound is reminiscent of everyone from Wilco to the Butthole Surfers to Beck.

Jackpot lacks the conviction or creativity to pull off sonic mutations quite as well as Beck, but endeavors instead to make them catchier and more poppy, with mixed results.

Shiny Things is the type of album that has no real centerpiece, no song that jumps out at the listener, warranting multiple plays in a row. The songs fluctuate very slightly in terms of their quality, with few exceptions.

“Throw Away Your Misery” and “Fleas on the Tail of Time” show that the band can get funky, if not ‘fonkey,’ while “Far Far Far,” perhaps the best song on the album, showcases the band’s smooth, slinky side.

“Tattoos,” a bluesy-rock tune, is unnecessarily lengthened without any discernible reason. The chorus, “she’s showing us her tattoos and baking banana bread,” is repeated so many times that one wonders how many tattoos this poor baker has.

The album’s last song, the poorly titled, poorly sung “Bring on the Chimes,” spoils the overall taste of Shiny Things, there is nothing quite so boring as a drudgingly slow song that goes nowhere.

Lyrically speaking, there’s nothing much of merit about the album. But considering the genre of the music, this fact is neither surprising nor disappointing.

Overall, Shiny Things is a decent album made by what appears to be a quite decent band still looking to fight their way onto the charts. With a little growth, Jackpot may succeed, though theyíll never live up to Les Rock’s glowing words.

Not a must-have, but the album won’t disappoint, even if it doesn’t impress. Give it a listen before you buy.

Check out Jackpot rocking the stage at the Gypsy Tea Room tonight, along with three other bands – Atreyu, Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons, and Jump, Little children.