Jupiter is the second full length from Portland, Oregon based dance crew Starfucker, a group who I honestly haven't given much of a chance beyond listening to this short album over and over. The reason why I've given Jupiter so many plays is because it is infectious. Jupiter is full of poppy indie-electro music that doesn't make you feel like you're in a corny hipster dance club. It's listenable the same way that pop music is, when I'm at home I can put this album on like I would a Michael Jackson record or any other kind of upbeat pop music. The downside to this is that the album can at times sound like I'm listening to music from a commercial (for some reason a lot of it reminds me of commercials I've seen for The Sims games). It's the same kind of music that advertisers seem to flock to in order to make people associate it with their products. But this still isn't enough to keep me from enjoying Jupiter as a whole.
The album starts off with a colourful and summery track Medicine, which also has an incredibly ear-buggy hook. And if that track wasn't radiant enough for you, Starfucker then try to smother you in cheerfulness with the following song Boy Toy. The whole atmosphere of Jupiter is one of blissful dance music, but after a while these tracks can start to sound a little bit too similar. The song Biggie Smalls kind of sounds like a recycled version of Boy Toy only a few songs back. There are tracks that manage to stand out though, aside from the two opening songs there's a cover of Cindy Lauper's 80's hit Girls Just Want to Have Fun, an amusing version of the original with a contagious bass line and some vibrant synths. The last two songs are different as well, and while they don't let up with the happiness, but they are a bit mellower than the rest of Jupiter, which is kind of a nice way to end an album with an overabundance of energy and enthusiasm.
Jupiter is a fun and lighthearted listen, despite the clothing store/commercial advertisement feel it can have at times. I don't think this is Starfucker's fault though, it's really just a trapping of indie-electro music in general given the genre's propensity for having catchy hooks and a buoyant tone.
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