Julius C :: OK, OK.

Don’t you love when you have a brand new band to obsess over? That is Julius C for me! This band’s album, Ok, Ok, which is to be released this fall, is possibly one of the best albums of 2010 so far!

This pop, rock, classic rock, disco, dance-y, groovy album had me at the first listen and never let go, starting off with their lead single, “Don’t Want Anybody.”

Beginning strong with guitars, piano, horns, whistles and even kazoos (listen carefully), “Don’t Want Anybody” is an upbeat track that gives you an overall happy feeling. The catchy chorus immediately characterizes the band for the listener as fun-loving and care-free, which you’ll discover in the rest of the album as they delve into several different genres. Lead vocalist Jay Stolar puts his all into this track, making you want to move as hard as he sings!

Another album highlight is “Lost Deep in the Sieve.” With keyboard and guitar noise similar to Weezer and Motion City Soundtrack, this simple track is equally as catchy as either of those veteran bands and equally as lovable. This slow tempo song has crashing cymbals and a guitar melody to kill. Stolar’s subdued intro makes way for a raucous chorus and is just pure rock, with a little help from some women back-ups. Sure, it’s the album’s shortest track, but it’s full of power and makes way for the danciest portion of the album.

Taking more time to explore different genres, “My Broken Heart” and “Party + Dance” are two disco-esque songs the band throws in the mix; but you’ll thank them for it! With lines like, “Take my broken heart, please/Turn it to a dance beat,” the former song is reminiscent of early Head Automatica during the chorus. The bridge develops into a fantastic plethora of sounds by including strings and horns into the band’s basic guitar, keyboard, drums and bass.

The latter song is ridiculously disco, right down to the Bee Gee’s falsettos. Complete with synths, funky, short-and-sweet guitar strumming and even a little cowbell, “Party + Dance” gets you straight into party mode. Starting off with, “The city lights, call to me/As I’m running in my sweatpants on Staten Island/This ain’t the way it’s supposed to be/I’m running out of air, I need some alcohol in me, please,” one could use this as a party pump-up jam or a jog-around-the-block pump-up jam. Either way, you’ll wanna move. Even if the lyrics display a New York lovesong by this NYC band, dance is a universal language to your hips!

Of course, every girl loves a cutesy love song and Julius C hooked this girl with “Same Old Song.” Deep-toned keys and Stolar’s sweet voice beckoning to “Sing for me and I’ll sing for you/And then you’ll see you’ve got someone/Smile for me and I’ll smile too/And then you’ll know you’ve got someone watching over you/Everything comes to the beginning in the end/And everything is nothing when we’re in bed/Same old song, again,” totally got me swooning. This simple-sounding song focuses on the sweet lyrics, my favorites in particular being “And when you’re scared of growing old/Don’t forget you’ll have someone wrinkled just like you” and the bridge’s “When you want to die just call me up on the telephone/I’ll be there in a jiffy, wearing your favorite super hero costume/And when you can’t sleep just play this song on your stereo/And if you need to cry, I’ll do the things for you that no one else can do for you/Lalalallalala …” You get the idea. This is just a sweet song that any boy can put on his girl’s mixtape to win her over!

When you get down to it, Julius C’s Ok, Ok. is the perfect example of fantastically fun pop rock that is smart enough to delve into and conquer several genres of music in one shot. Though this band isn’t very known yet, they very well should be soon. Keep an eye out for them, because they’ll be taking over your stereo. Ok, Ok. is an addicting listen from beginning to end and quite possibly one of the best albums of the year.

Buy the album at our record store on Amazon

Bonus Track: Julius C play “Lost Deep in the Sieve” … For a baby.

We Recommend these Shows and Blogs:

* The Enter The Shell Show Interviews Julius C
* Free Song Download – “Never a Frown, with Gordon Brown” by The Chap
* Artist of the Week – Eugene & The 1914
* Covers Revue – Peter Gabriel and Hot Chip cover “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”
* Album Review – Kings Of Leon