Everything Under the Sun (Bonus Version)

Jukebox the Ghost has built a rabid fan base with relentless touring and creative songcraft, working in a pop construct that often has a difficult time breaking out of its somewhat restrictive milieu (bands like Barenaked Ladies and They Might Be Giants live there). With Ben Thornewill’s easy vocals and dexterous piano skill, their songs gurgle and bubble with charm and wit, and though it’s a relentlessly sunny world they live in, the trio skirts saccharine tones in favor of more thoughtful ones. On Everything Under the Sun, Jukebox the Ghost’s second full-length, the band’s sound is more fully realized, more rounded: standout tunes like “Schizophrenia” and “Empire” feel like cousins to Death Cab for Cutie (due in large part to Thornewill’s voice), while tracks like “Summer Sun” and “So Let Us Create” have a subdued, sophisticated tone, more along the lines of Rufus Wainwright. “The Sun” and “The Sun (Interlude)” sound like the orchestral pop of a larger band, and though Thornewill’s piano is largely at the center, it’s confident songwriting and smart arrangements that give these tunes such breadth.