Review 1 of 9

zivo24 writes:

4of 5 Stars

Oh, Rolling Stone, your pretentiousness is showing. Johnson is a true poet. He can communicate more in one his songs than your writers can in a 6 page article. What people like about Johnson is that he is true to himself. He makes music that he likes to play. He writes poignant lyrics that express what's on his mind. The formula for his success is his own and didn't come out of a mixing board or a record company boardroom. There are very few artists that I can buy their CD and really come to like nearly every song on it, but Johnson is definitely one. This new album is true Jack and I love it. I still think "On and On" is his best to date but he's got plenty of time to top himself. My only complaint about Johnson is that he doesn't add extra dates to his tour - he sells out the Red Rocks venue in Denver, where I live, in minutes every time. I'm going, but LOTS of people here are bummed that they missed out again.

May 4, 2008 11:29:32

Review 2 of 9

sunshiningL8 writes:

5of 5 Stars

I love this album. To condemn it for its slow, undramatic melodies and simply worded lyrics would be to miss out on exactly what makes this album so beautiful. Jack Johnson must always be considered in context. He is not a city-hopping, fame-seeking rock star; he is a natural, small-town family man surfer. To quote Jack from Rolling Stone's own feature article, "A lot of artists fall into a thing where they're constantly trying to create art. But I think you can forget to take things in." Jack's music is honest and real, and I see that honesty and realness so much in Sleep Through the Static. He doesn't hit us over the head with experimental solos or apocalyptic lyrics. Jack takes in the life he lives, and puts out unassumingly beautiful music. This album reflects on deeper themes, questions the direction of the world, ponders death and loneliness and war, but behind each of Jack's darker tracks lies his clear love of life. Jack isn't the type of artist to starve himself or drug himself in hopes of artistic revelation. What I hear on Sleep Through the Static is a voice saying, "There's a lot of pain and uncertainty in life, and a lot of problems in our world, and this knowledge is disheartening and hard to deal with since we don't really have a lot of answers. But at the same time, look at the sunset. Hold your child. Feel the wind. Smell the fresh air. Love life, because life is beautiful." Thank you, Jack.

Mar 21, 2008 10:06:21

Review 3 of 9

LongHaul27 writes:

5of 5 Stars

Maybe it's because it is new and so different than "Dreams", "On and On", and "Brushfire", but I have not stopped listening to this album since it came out.

Every single track tells an incredible story(indecipherable until listed to more than 2-3x as another reviewer pointed out). While most of Jack's previous albums dealt with themse like death and love- this one gets even deeper, contemplating life, creating life, and learning to build on that which breaks us down during low tide.

And as far as the "stoner" lyrics reference because Jack chose to use a wise teaching of the late Dalhi Lama, is very disapointed for a Rolling Stone caliber magazine.

Folk/Alt/Indie Rock Music lovers- you will love this album.

Mar 6, 2008 11:50:36

Review 4 of 9

PlayCrackTheSky writes:

4of 5 Stars

I thought Jack Johnson's other c.d.s were a little better and I felt more of a connection with his previous songs. At the same time, this is still a great c.d. and I doubt I will get tired of it any time soon. It's worth the money.

Feb 19, 2008 08:17:22

Review 5 of 9

poudrevonyote writes:

5of 5 Stars

It was an interesting review and you make some fine points, but overall there’s stuff going on that you’re not catching. The easily digestible, or what is immediately heard is perceived as simple because it is simply perceived. The lines that initially slip through the cracks are often indecipherable at first, second and even third listen. I would say that the lyrics on Sleep Through The Static are more complex and profound than on any other album. Its not too tough to take the most obvious lines that are the superficial level of representing a complex idea, or critique of an ideology, and make them sound simple, after three or four lines of complex and illusory linguistics that construct a much deeper meaning than you’re realizing.

The diversity is very subtle - and one could say, non existent. But it is a winning formula - and this seems to be your main criticism. Compared to another artist who has a similar range of listenership, Jack portrays and espouses some very peaceful and forward thinking values - values that some may believe are valid in our world. And because he is not an extreme in any sense, his often subtle critiques of things become heard by many individuals who might have been advised against listening to his music. Perhaps this is his genius. Although, if that is the case, then significant things must be said in Sleep Through The Static.

Consider also, the various approaches to critiquing music. It seems that most of the current criticism revolves around lyric simplicity, weakness, mundane tempos, and a general lack of creative risk, or what has been called in poetry - duende (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duende_%28art%29). I think the dark force of duende is very present in this album, perhaps not as blatantly as some might like.

Many of the lyrics take a look at perspective, listenership, objectivity, subjectivity - certainly not an overt critique of modern politics or culture, but really, is. In terms of a general view that recognizes differences, not similarities, on whatever scale - in terms of physical matter or skin color doesn’t matter, here Jack brings these to the fore: “what a wonderful world from this angle we see.” This is a hit at a culture that ignores problems and thrives on the illusion of difference. A resolution to this idea may be found in the line, “who needs peace/when we’ve gone above.”

Jack’s music seems to be a constant play on position or perspective. But he plays with this consciously in his music, I think, in order to increase our awareness of connectivity. He describes a place in the first verse of the first song that appears to be madness, “all at once/ the world can overwhelm me/ there’s almost nothing that you could tell me/ that would ease my mind.” But, his music doesn’t reflect this inner conflict - so what does this paradox say about the function of his simple, melodic grooves; at least as they function for him and in turn, the big picture of his music?

Certainly, many of Jack’s lines are metaphorical, and a bit less accessible than one might like, but as a poet, the displacement and apparent ambiguity adds a significant level of depth and transcendence as the words bring the listener deeper into a subjective understanding and create a deeper meaning through the meditative grooves.

The labelling of Jack’s lyrics as “stoner lyrics,” ideas or whatever, blatently shows the ignorance of the critic - come on. The author’s aforementioned, “Zen-like side”is in fact indicative of Zen-Buddhism, or “all of life is in one drop of the ocean.” I personally wouldn’t venture to call the Tibetan Buddhist leader, The Dalai Lama a “stoner.” Consider the Buddhist chant, Om mani padme hum,” or enlightenment is everything.

As Jack has said, "Thanks for listening..."

Feb 13, 2008 11:28:00

Review 6 of 9

sierra130 writes:

2of 5 Stars

As a dedicated fan of Jack's music, I did not care if this album rated up there with his gigantic commercial successes: collecting the body of his work is the important thing. With that said, STTS put me to sleep with its uninspiring, limited range. I agree with Jack, who admits he is not a singer, but in general his tunes are unrivaled in their lyrics, composition and orchestration. Jack Johnson's music is a refreshing escape from the hip hop dribble that defines this generation. Thank God for Jack.

Feb 12, 2008 08:47:14

Review 7 of 9

cher2116 writes:

3of 5 Stars

By all means a good Jack Johnson album but I agree that I was looking for more mixture of the various piano, guitar. Are the Bubble Toes, Taylor, Mud Football, Good People types to be the next project. Solid voice, sleeping through static hits many feelings, but was looking for a new type of song or two which I didn't hear. Will continue to listen to it and plan to see his tour this year.

Feb 11, 2008 21:33:15

Review 8 of 9

johnwchrist writes:

4of 5 Stars

While many more listens will undoubtedly inform my final take on this album, my initial impression is that, despite dabbles in darker themes and the noticable introduction of some new sounds, this is recognizably Jack. And to me, that's a really good thing. Mellow. Thoughtful. Simple. Genuine. Immensely enjoyable.

Feb 7, 2008 02:54:27