'Jonny Lives!', Or is at Least Learning ToThe (not so) underworld of alternative indie rock is fast paced and includes more members than anyone really knows what to do with. In order to stand out, a band must have something different than anyone else in the independent music family. Jonny Lives! is obviously trying to get a head above the rest with Get Steady, and it is a valiant effort.
"Get Steady" is by far the catchiest track on the EP, achieving the honor with its great leading voice and matching guitars. You'll want to put the first 60 seconds on constant repeat before you even listen to the rest of the record. Nevertheless, exiting this song, the rest of the disk does not enter into a drastic uphill climb. "Breaking Down" is the typical "slow song", characteristically coming after two harder songs. The acoustic guitars and stop and go vocals, carry the song through, but the lyrics hold no real kicker. It's encouraging to see the bands effort in diversifying their song type. This is a foot-taper, but, unfortunately, not really a candidate for constant repeat. "Clichι" harbors no unique musical efforts, and frankly, the repetition in and rhyming of the refrain is somewhat annoying. Unfortunately, this aspect of the song overshadows the electric solo, which ends the song. Finishing the EP with "Lost My Mind" definitely showcases Jonny Dubowsky's crooning voice, and, again, it's pleasing that this band can speak to a few different styles in a five song EP.
Jonny Lives! will probably please fans of The Killers, The Strokes, and maybe even Hot Hot Heat. Lead singer Jonny Dubowsky's deep and adaptable vocals carry the band, however, a full-length album will need more than just hard guitars, hard guitars, and more hard guitars if it's going to make its mark, even if those guitars are likeable. As an EP, Get Steady makes it, but Jonny Lives needs to bulk up if they're in it for the long haul.
