Presuming you're old enough to remember, go back to 1993. American grunge has reached its zenith and Britpop is hanging in the shadows, waiting to grab the zeitgeist. If 'I To Sky' had been released then it really would have been a radio friendly unit shifter. Shame then that it's 2002, because JJ72's - and ostensibly Mark Greaney's vision - is, by turns, ambitious, exciting, classic and epic.
Building on the grandiose guitar pomp of 2000's eponymous debut, the JJ's have ignored the fashion fad of garage guitar rock and merely pumped-up the atmospherics a notch, while reveling in the same old haunting and simple melodies. This is to their credit. Minor-chord piano led opener 'Nameless' is a darkly sweet fairytale ode, leading to the jangly, warm guitars of recent single 'Formulae', Greaney pushing his high-octane falsetto to earnestly yearning and hypnotic effect.
Indeed, the first half of 'I To Sky' showcases a band at the height of their powers. The tribal beats and purring guitars of 'I Saw A Prayer' sound like a lost Smashing Pumpkins track before they got unnecessarily mixed-up with electronica. The insistent 'Serpent Sky' is snarling apocalyptic aggression, while album highlight, 'Always and Forever' is a lush pop song that James could have written if only they'd had Greaney's razor sharp ear for a tune.
With the exception of the Joy Division influenced 'City', the final third of the album drops the ante somewhat. The idea, though, that this sophomore effort may be laying the foundations for something even mightier cannot be ignored.
Throughout, 'I To Sky' is littered with Christian references and notions of faith and vengeance. Unfortunately, it seems likely that JJ72 will only be preaching to the converted.
