o! the joy

Music:

Member Since: 5/25/2006
Band Members: Justin Goings - drums, cymbals, polyrhythms

Jason Ellis - guitars, effects, samples

Kurt Travis - vocals

Kyle Marcelli - bass groovez

Influences:
Sounds Like: "I don’t know much about the band, only that their biography lists that the band came out of another diverse genre of "kraut-rock to emo" called Mister Metaphor. Fortunately, their myspace is still available (although they haven’t logged in since 2003), so I was able to check out what they sounded like for comparison. It looks like they’ve only released one EP, before disbanding and lead to their drummer, Justin Goings to form O! The Joy.Zen Mode is one of those album that you need to listen to several time to fully appreciate it, and it probably helps to see them live. They are not operating under the standard pop music, instead, opting for strange guitar riffs that shouldn’t be there to unexpected percussions. At times, you’d think they were random accidents, but I’m sure it was all meticulous planned.The purely instrumental songs ( "22435", "The Man And the Secrets", and "Guiding Role") seems to be design as sort of exploration of their craft. However, I did enjoy the songs with lyrics on them as Kurt Travis’ vocals brings the songs together."Under the Radar" should adequately represent what they are all about, the song’s rhythm and style changes throughout the song.Also, four points to the cover artwork by Devin Oatway."
- www.weheartmusic.vox.com/

"O! The Joy recorded their album Zen Mode at Tiny Telephone (San Francisco). It is a crossover of musical genres which will seduce all kind of audiences, from the math-rock nerd to the basic indie-fan."
- www.bcgoodiebag.com/

"At first listen, Sacramento four piece O! The Joy sound slightly emo. I take an instant dislike to them. Then I feel guilty for judging this band so harshly, and so immediately! Give it a minute or so and you become aware that there is depth and colour to their music that surpasses that filthy emo label. Despite Kurt Travis’ vocals acting as a deterrent to the music at the beginning it is soon realised that this is a gifted band.Zen Mode is the debut record from these Californians who, it’s got to be said, can really fucking play! After the initial fear that this was going to be “a bit emo” they detour into experimental progness: a delight to my ears. Conceivable Test Tube Baby gets better and better. Guitarist Jason Ellis whips about the fret board like Omar Rodriguez at times then the song delves into the moody atmospherics that the Mars Volta do better than any other.There is No Such Thing as Organised Crime piles on the goodness; starting faint it builds into a storm of wrecked guitar licks and pummelling drums. Like Lightning Bolt with their fingers in the sockets!I become more and more sorry, and annoyed, for my earlier snap judgement. Whilst Kurt Travis’ vocals remain questionable throughout - because they are a bit emo - they don’t overshadow the bands impact. In fact Travis’ wails could give this band accessibility to a wider audience. A song like Under the Radar is catchy whilst remaining musically adventurous. If this broadens one emos musical mind map then its one small victory, and hopefully the first in a long line. Not to dwell on the emo subject because O! The Joy definitely aren’t emo. I’ll just say pop, it’s not a dirty word like emo. They have a certain pop appeal that I can’t place, but is what makes them such a great band. Travis’ vocal style has a pop bent that will appeal to those who might not necessarily listen to music as experimental as this. Suck them in with songs like Under the Radar then hook them on songs like the dreamy jazz centred 22435, a song reminiscent of electronic avant-indie maestros Tortoise.So how can a band that sounds like both Tortoise and Lightning Bolt be accessible? They may veer off in all directions but songs like We Write The Next Chapter are gona stick in your head. They are catchy. But this is definitely for the more adventurous music lover. Fans of bands like the Blood Brothers, who bring elements of pop and fuse them with hardcore and emo, people who like the less extrapolated pieces by Mars Volta, and people who can appreciate completely awe inspiring and indulgent musicianship that doesn’t ditch itself in indulgence. O! The Joy can have you singing and dancing along happily, and then swiftly lock you in chaos. That takes some skill kids."
-http://subba-cultcha.spyre-media.com

"If you’re gonna raise the kraut-rock flag, you’d better understand new wave - unless you’re happy being just another experimental pop outfit. If you’re gonna carry the emo torch, you’d better know a thing or two about punk or rockabilly - unless you’re happy being just another band whose singer whines. But in the overcrowded scene of self-described “fresh” music drowning in its novelty, being just another anything is pretty fruitless. Enter Sacramento band O! The Joy, who describe their sound as spanning “kraut-rock to emo.” Their debut album, Zen Mode, will indeed provide some joy - as long as you can ignore the band’s highfalutin stylistic claims, or the album’s glaring mediocrities. We poke at emo, but it’s not the easiest bridge to cross over for musical contentment. These are tight musicians who seem to find endless pleasure in mashing up rhythms and styles into a single multifaceted - albeit bumpy - ride. Take ‘We Write the Next Chapter,’ the album’s standout track. Here an endlessly ingratiating guitar line, a fencing match between drums and bass, and to-the-point vocals form a rare harmony. If your noggin isn’t bobbing to that main guitar lick by the song’s end, then you might want to check your head. Throughout Zen Mode, Jason Ellis plays his guitar with cunning and oomph, while Kyle Marcelli’s bass lines and Justin Goings’ drum parts keep the polyrhythms groovy. But Kurt Travis’ singing - at any given moment, either a strident melodic bark or a poppy harmonic interjection - never reach that same level of vision. At best, the vocals are an appropriate but unnecessary detail. At their worst - just plain distracting. Tracks such as ‘Conceivable Test Tube Baby’ contain more than enough twisting-and-turning structural intrigue to do without vocals entirely, but nonetheless still force Travis on the masses. Wiser moments like ‘22435? may dispense with the words, but they lack the twists and turns. As a result, these songs never bud and rarely gel. There are several joyful moments on Zen Mode, but a few major flaws, the vocals being chief among them, prevent O! The Joy from reaching the greatness of which they just might be capable."
- www.pensatos.com/

"O! The Joy proofs that there is a future for leftfield West Coast bands with an East Coast sound. Zen Mode is a deceptive title for a hard hitting album with constantly shifting polyrhythms. Mix the Byrds’ guitar tone with half a pint of Sonic Youth and a pinch of The Residents and you get the picture. Adventurous college radio jocks will love these guys."
- www.elbo.ws/

"The driving force of this four piece band from Sacramento is guitarist, Jason Ellis. His virtuoso playing is the focal point of the ten tracks on this ambituous debut album. His style is flashy and Zappa-esque which leads the music in a variety of different directions from straight to progressive rock. Mostly the sound evokes the kind of Jazzy post-folk familiar to fans of Tortoise or Do Make Say Think. The versatility of Ellis proves to be a double edged sword because while on the one hand it opens up a range of possibilities, on the other hand the tracks struggle to maintain a tight structure. This problem is compounded by the fact that Kurt Travis’’ vocals are neither beast nor fowl.The press release from French based Distile records claims that Travis’ "singings are moving" (sic) but his voice is not powerful enough for rock or sensitive enough for melodic pop. As a result there is little synchronicity between what he is singing and what the band are playing. This largely explains why the best tracks here are a pair of instrumental jams - ’There is no such thing as "organised crime"’ and ’22435’. Prime examples of the more sprawling tracks are the two tracks that open and close the album (Conceivable Test Tube Baby and the title track respectively) both of which clock in at over 7 minutes and ramble on aimlessly. Reservations aside, this is a promising and original album worthy of praise because it doesn’t try to slot into a tried and tested mould."
- www.whisperinandhollerin.com/

"If Built to Spill and The Mars Volta spawned a child, it might sound something along the lines of Sacramento’s O! The Joy, but never long enough to get too caught up in the aforementioned names. Then again, there is ample evidence O! The Joy have explored the kosmische scene as well on their new record Zen Mob, here & there philosophically echoing Faust’s manner of carrying rare tangents to fruition. Having said that, maybe I’m just high, but my favorite tune on the record, "Under The Radar," really reminds me of Joe Jackson, especially on the expansive slow punch of the chorus. Zen Mode shows a seamless weaving of genres, transferring from melodically intense passages to drugged out guitar mania splattering color.
- parasitesandsycophants.blogspot.com

"Sacramento’s O! The Joy is a band that makes me simultaneously love and hate the task of a reviewer, because their debut album "Zen Mode" reminds me about both the great and not-so-great aspects about this job. O! The Joy is the most original and most creative band having arrived in our mailbox since The Fall Of Troy’s "Doppelgänger", which is great because I’m passionate about experimental music that takes every attempt at expanding genre boundaries, but it’s also not-so-great as it leaves me pulling my hair because I cannot find a suitable way in which to write this review."Zen Mode", their debut album, is an extremely complicated piece of artistic experimentation taken completely out of the context of its genre descriptions. The starting point for the album is simple: electrifying, readily accessible indie rock, except the simplicity got lost somewhere in the process when the band added about a hundred dimensions to each of their masterful arrangements. Each song on the album is a vibrant, eccentric example of how the definition of experimental indie rock can be stretched into every possible direction. The range of melodies on "Zen Mode" is unbelievable, leaving the listener astonished time and time again over how different and unique every song sounds without an unfocused feel.All songs on the album have been constructed in a modular way similar to the approach Between The Buried And Me takes in their songwriting. The arrangements vary from free-form jazz sessions to vivid sound-explosions full of colourful guitar patterns and harmonies, and then all of a sudden you are treated to a guitar virtuoso contesting that of Thomas Erak and his band The Fall Of Troy. And in many ways, O! The Joy sounds so similar to The Fall Of Troy, that when the harmonious clean vocals are paused for long instrumental sessions, it’d be close to impossible to claim that it wasn’t Erak & co playing instead of O! The Joy.There are simply so many things to explore on the album that it’s difficult to know where to start. For instance, "Zen Mode"’s title track is an eight minute epic masterpiece which sounds exactly like how I had imagined a Bear Vs Shark/The Fall Of Troy collaboration to sound like. Then you’ve got the 44 second track "Guiding Role" or the other shortie "The Mand And The Secrets", both of which take an instrumental route positioned somewhere between Explosions In The Sky and Pelican. And pretty much everything in between. There are tumultuous moments where the instruments loudly explode in every direction, and contrasting that, there are silent, softly sung sessions which rival Portugal. The Man in their experimentalism. That’s why it’s so difficult to exactly put onto paper the sound that is "Zen Mode", and it’s even harder to do so in a way that does the album any justice. To call it merely a fantastic experimental indie rock piece isn’t enough, as there are elements of so many other genres in their music. Close inspection will reveal similarities to the emo/screamo, post-rock, and the instrumental scenes, and that’s just a start. There are countless other genres that the album touches, too.That’s why O! The Joy is a band that I’ll wholeheartedly recommend for all our readers to check out in detail. Their sound spreads itself over so many genres that I’d be surprised to find anyone who doesn’t find at least something ear-pleasing in "Zen Mode". But be warned, upon checking the album out, it might end up stuck in your playlist’s constant rotation for an extended amount of time."
- www.rockfreaks.net

"O! The Joy’s Zen Mode (Distile) are one of those bands who sound like they listened to a lot of different sounds, but want to be able to filter it through one or two solid treams. But then they start throwing out other influences and I’ll be honest, I was smiling from ear to ear as I was listening to this because it sounds good. The type of altered audio visions these guys create may put them alongside Coheed & Cambria and The Mars Volta, if not the Foo Fighters. "Conceivable Test Tube Baby" has them reaching for the power pop with power chords and everything, then getting into a Close To The Edge-era Yes moment before slowing things almost to a halt and getting bluesy as if Neil Young had entered a room and wanted to share his pedal collection. The solo by Jason Ellis is on that right side of incredible, and it continues on for what feels like a long time, letting all of the emotions out and allowing the song to ride on for as long as it can. If Duane Allman was alive, he would definitely find many reasons to sit in with these guys and jam, but bring on Vernon Reid, Buckethead, or even John Mayer.To sum it up, they probably would fit in the "math rock" category for today’s audiences, but it’s the style of rock that is reminiscent of what many prog rock bands were doing in the 70’s, when anything and everything was thrown in the fire. In fact, it’s very much modern day prog rock, and while anyone could name tons of bands that offer similar vibes, these guys really don’t sound like anyone. They’re not stuck in Munich or Copenhagen either, this is very much a modern album with modern touches that for a lot of people will totally kill those damn hippie records. O! The Joy are far out when they need be, and that’s pretty much for the entire album. Rather than conform, people need to be far out to get into them, especially when it sounds like everything in the studio is about to blow up and catch fire. Take your medication before listening."
- therunoffgroove.blogspot.com

"On their debut album, Zen Mode, Sacramento’s O! The Joy grab the emo banner and thrust it to the sky proudly, demanding respect (or at least a respectful listen) from anyone brave enough to take the journey with them.The band consists of only three musicians: Jason Ellis (guitars), Justin Goings (formerly of Mister Metaphor; drums), and Kurt Travis (vocals and keys) but their sound is far more expansive than this simple line-up might seem. Looking deep into themselves, O! The Joy fuses indie rock with free jazz into a blend that is unique, difficult, and so mature it almost seems naive.The opening track, “Conceivable Test Tube Baby” begins as standard indie rock - big words, big vocals, big sound - before dissolving into something much stranger. Goings doesn’t play fills as much as he plays leaps in logic; the guitars of Ellis jump around the neck as if they never know where they will land next. From there they enter a dreamscape that would make David Gilmour proud before finally chugging to a close.But they album doesn’t end there, and neither do the surprises. Whether tackling what can only be described as indie-jazz-breakbeats as on the instrumental “22435” or sweeping, ahem, ‘radio’ songs like “Under The Radar,” O! The Joy always sounds fresh.While their expansively disjointed compositions may throw many listeners for a loop, there is simply too much to like about this album. While they should never expect to top the charts, fear not you freaks of freedom, there is a bright future ahead for O! The Joy."
-www.okayplayer.com

"Wow, imagine a much more fiercely scattershot version of Firehose with Sting as the lead singer, and that might provide a vibe closely akin to this band. Tracks like “Conceivable Test Tube Baby” glide between indie rock waves of guitar sorcery and double bass drum mosh-metal insanity, yet the vocals kind of cruise above it all, like harmony-drenched gulls. The whole album borders ..ry and dizzying, yet never falls total prey to art for art’s sake – elitism and matsurbation. There’s even a moodiness and mellow elecronica that opens up “There is no Such Thing as Organized Crime” that seems lifted from Moby, and when the suspenseful riffage begins to render it all asunder, it offers its own skewered kind of sensuality, however discombobulating and frenzied. Recall those old dog-eared, skronkifried Coltrane and hiply astute avant-garde Ayler records? Well skip ahead to Sonny Sharrock, then ahead to the Flying Luttenbachers, than add much better production, and here you are: Land of the Joy. Is it trained, scripted chaos with buttered Shakespeare lyrical nods? Is it The Matches meeting Blood Brothers meeting action art meeting a gentrified, deracinated Mars Volta? Is it XTC gone math metal? It’s likely all and nothing of those things. Judge not the panacea for the bored and jaded young lads."
-http://www.leftofthedialmag.com/

"The press material for O! The Joy describes them as “ingenious” and their debut record as “impetuous.” Zen Mode, it announces, contains “a perfect harmony between a wide range of genres, from krautrock to emo.” Post-rock, math-rock, and prog-rock are also mentioned by name.Dutifully enough, they’ve imported stuff from all of the genres claimed. From emo, we get sincerities shouted with emotion. From math-rock, we get long sections where they slash or pick through bits of angular slashy-pickiness. From post-rock, we get that towering haze of reverb that Interpol are constantly using to disguise dull passages. There isn’t a whole lot of krautrock, but the intention is well-taken; krautrock is one of those perennial muso favorites, and O! The Joy want to be a free-spirited, melodic synthesis of a lot of different muso favorites. A band with that as a goal won’t want to categorize themselves, so, after dithering over it, the promo writer settles on “experimental pop” to describe their sound.Put more simply, Zen Mode is a prog-rock record. Drummer Justin Goings skitters away at that Jimmy Chamberlin thing he’s doing. His bandmates are up front for the entire record as well, and all of them compete noisily for your attention by playing notes at the same time. The arpeggio is the chief unit of structure for these guys, so what you get for most of Zen Mode is busy, arpeggiated fugues with sudden time changes. Drum fills overflow the slight songs they’re wedged into. Druggy Pink Floyd interludes drift between them, buoyed along by drifty keyboards and druggy guitars.Unfortunately, the way it’s all executed, the prog winds up completely at odds with the emo. Instrumental showboating crowds out the vocals, leaving them too diffident and insular to be as confessional as emo is wont to. Since the vocals don’t sell the words and the words don’t back up the emoting, what was supposed to be melancholy just comes across all dour, which sucks all of the fun out the musical fireworks show. So, what you’re left with is not-fun prog-rock, and that’s no good at all.Worse, O! The Joy continue to change shape and size constantly on every track, a decision that winds up underscoring the similarities between this stuff. Songs blur together; inspired parts (like the driving chords that open “Conceivable Test Tube Baby”) share equal time with dull ones (like the rest of “Conceivable Test Tube Baby”), and there’s no lucky, take-away song at all. Any claim to “experimental pop” is deflated because Zen Mode is not pop. As for experimentation, these aren’t tests, they’re inefficient designs – and that’s engineering, not science. Tighten them up and the whole thing might fly someday. It’s too bad Zen Mode doesn’t."
-www.tinymixtapes.com
Record Label: Distile
Type of Label: Indie