Sony
2002
I To Sky
About This Album
Following up a critically praised near-classic album with another winner is a feat that so few artists accomplish. JJ72's I to Sky sees frontman Mark Greaney and company nearly matching their debut, pairing their own unique style to a series of musical influences, from Joy Division to the Smiths to Kiwi rock to U2 to the Smashing Pumpkins and obviously Placebo, but sometimes fumbling about in a not-entirely welcome, newfound sonic bombast courtesy of uber-producer Flood and mixer Alan Moulder. When Greaney hits the nail on the head, he's still capable of musical epiphany. "Formulae" is a masterstroke equal to the singles extracted from the eponymous debut. Greaney's opening vocals sit easily alongside processed acoustic guitars as he nonchalantly sings about things going wrong and man-made rules, and then, 40 seconds in, the heavens open and he lets loose his trademark range to tackle a killer chorus. "I Saw a Prayer" and "Always and Forever" are also worthy of the band's spectacular debut; the former adds a "Pure Morning"-like crunch and punch to the formula, while the latter feels like a second cousin to "Algeria." Greaney sounds old beyond his years on "Always and Forever" -- kind of like a frazzled Morrissey singing romantically over textured bass notes and homegrown beats similar to those from David Gray's White Ladder, while a lush, anthemic U2 sweep breezes past.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,4,5 and 10)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.