Johnny Action Figure, Good Eye

By Christian Lipski

In every genre of art, there evolve solidified scenes, where well-defined rules force participants to toe the line and conform, even if the theme itself is nonconformity. And there are, logically, points when those scenes lose their power to enclose, and you suddenly begin to see variety where there once was only similarity. At this point, there are usually no existing words to define the new forms, except to identify what scene they were or are not a part of.

In preparation for this review, I listened to some of Johnny Action Figure’s earlier CDs. There are hints as to what the band could do, here and there, but there is a marked change in style on Good Eye. The band have always had an ear for harmony and tempo changes, but with this latest release they have become something like a new band altogether.

The second half of the CD still has some fun pop-rock feel, in “Bushkill Hill” and “Social Fabric,” and they’re poppy and and guitarry. But the songs that we are asked to focus on, the ones pushed to the front of the queue, are of a decidedly different bent.

The new songs vary between “Phantom Blues'” Panic At The Disco-style cabaret (complete with vibra-slap and horn section) and, in “Let Me Guess” or “Julianne,” what I can only describe as a kind of New California Smoothness, as if Seals, Crofts, England Dan and John Ford Coley’s kids got together and formed a band.

In between there are still smudges of emo-ness, primarily in vocals with that edge of earnestness, as on “Manhanttan Hymnals.” Chris Sheehan’s vocals are sometimes a bit low in the mix, but that may have been done on purpose, as they lean a little towards the Tom-DeLongean when he pushes his volume, but his falsetto is a welcome treat. The group vocals are well-mixed, and add rich texture to the songs. As a whole, the production is a full step up from 2006’s asks the Room to Please Stop Spinning.

But even if this is not a complete separation from the indie/emo/DIY scene, it’s an important evolutionary step. The logical creative paths are being mapped out here, taking the once-ironic bouncy emo song into a sincerely bouncy life, or allowing some non-rock instruments into the studio for musical reasons, not as sound effects.

I think that Johnny Action Figure have always been on the fringes of their “scene,” but the release of Good Eye shows them tapping out of their egg into a big bright new world. A wide-ranging tour on the heels of this CD would do them a power of good.

Good Eye was self-released by the band in 2009 and is available on iTunes. To find out more about Johnny Action Figure, please check out their Official Website or MySpace page.