Artist 100 Monkeys

Let’s get this out of the way right up front: Jackson Rathbone, one of the stars of Twilight, is in 100 Monkeys. Surely that fact initially drew a lot of people to see this instrument-swapping ensemble, but something keeps them going back. The thing is, it’s probably not the music. The band’s debut,Grape, was amateurish at best, featuring lyrics about monkeys smoking blunts and a heavy Jim Morrison vibe laid thickly over almost every track. The band’s second record, Liquid Zoo, came out at the end of June and is, fortunately, a step up as far as production, songwriting, and influences go. While it’s still got that omnipresent organ, “Shy Water” sounds a lot like blues-rock vets Gomez, while psych-rock freak-out “Time” has a definite Country Joe McDonald thing going on.

Updated 06/22/2011