Jupiter in Velvet – In2 the Arms of Love
URL: https://www.jupiterinvelvet.com/home
Jupiter in Velvet has a cosmopolitan flair to his music gleaned from his time living both in the United States and Europe. It comes through on every one of his ten songs and they are largely powered by a tasteful of amount of guitar theatrics that, nonetheless, sparkles with meaningful flash at a number of moments over the course of the album. The same unique songwriting point of view informing his earlier recordings is in full evidence here, but Jupiter in Velvet’s songwriting seems to be gaining added momentum with each new release. He brings real engagement, attention to detail, and unquestionable energy to his performances and the production brings them to life even further with its warm, visceral sound. In2 the Arms of Love wants to communicate with his audience and does so with apparently effortless skill.
This is a powerhouse effort from the first. Jupiter in Velvet comes out of his corner swinging and connects with a mind-rattling blow. The album’s title song “In2 the Arms of Love” revisits many of the songwriter’s themes in a familiar way, but his ability to frame such sentiments with coherence and cinematic flair grows with each successive release. The spirit filling both his guitar work and singing is quite similar – there’s a warm, yet brawling quality coming from every second of these songs. The track “’Till the End of the World” sports many of these same qualities and is definitely one of the album’s strongest efforts. The laser-focused guitar playing has a nicely unrelenting quality; it never takes its foot off the gas, really, but exercises just the right amount of pressure on listeners. The power pop rock fury of the number “I’m So Ready” has a brash, jagged edge both vocally and instrumentally, but it’s always shaped in an artful fashion with a keen-eared balance between a live, spontaneous sound and a stylized musical attack.
His talent for crafting memorable musical melodies gets another successful workout on the acoustic based “How It’s Gonna Be”. There’s a delicious insolence surrounding the lyrics and Jupiter in Velvet’s vocal delivery while the drumming gives the songwriting added urgency. Some more of his alternative/punk rock influences come to the fore with “Supercharged”, but it kicks off with a little musical sleight of hands that promises a much more melancholy track. Much like many of In2 the Arms of Love’s songs, this track is tailored to an ideal length. Do not mistake genuine style for empty vehicles. Jupiter in Velvet might seems like a slightly flamboyant figure in the traditional rock star mode, songs like this prove there’s no self indulgence present in his work. “Nowhere 2 Run” strikes a pure pop song note, sans guitars, and built primarily around tone setting percussion and a singsong melody that isn’t easy to forget. Jupiter in Velvet’s vocal, however, takes it to another level. There’s a white-knuckled, slightly unhinged twist in his voice that makes these songs wild cards. He brings a blast of pure energy late in the album with the punky “Mars Ain’t that Far” and you can audibly hear the sheer joy he brings to handling this kind of material. It seems like a wholly natural and effortless performance. There really isn’t a single low point throughout this release and this review can scarcely do it justice. Jupiter in Velvet brings the goods each time out and In2 the Arms of Love is his most fully realized effort yet.
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/JupiterInVelvet
Frank McClure