Scissor Runner – Jenny and Johnny Scissor Runner – Jenny and Johnny (Free Download)

Jenny and Johnny cover their bases in their first collaboration, Lewis reinventing herself again via surf-rock noise. The new album, created with beau Jonathan Rice, shows off a more lo-fi summer sound than we have grown accustom to in her solo albums. Jenny and Johnny certainly aren’t strangers to having fun together, which is why I’m Having Fun Now describes the album perfectly.

In the new record, Lewis goes for a sound that resembles Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast while Rice’s voice is as comforting as the big wave that the duo sings about on their album.  “Scissor Runner” is a happy go-lucky tune that shows how Rice and Lewis echo one another in more ways than one. Their spaced-out voices complement the upbeat track behind the scenes.

“Big Wave” sounds like the start to a Beach Boys song with a hint of The Black Angels’ drugged out sound. This song, more than most, is reminiscent of Best Coast’s soothing rhythms.  “My Pet Snakes” shows Lewis’ love for insanely quirky and thought provoking lyrics: “And if you don’t believe in chemistry/then what were we doing? /oh, you and I had everything/from rebirth to ruin.” Lewis’ southern twang and charm comes to play in this track while she and Rice converse by singing over one another.

“Animal” is one of the best tracks on the album, as it’s slower and more melancholy than most. Rice is the central focus of the song and creatively highlights their knack for great lyrics: “We must rearrange reality/shuffle all the cards/pair the joker with the queen/just to make her scream.” “Slavedriver” proves to be a mystical song that hypnotizes with its hauntingly precious background melodies and trippy vocals: “I’ll take the weight, you take the reins.”

Not every song on the album was mind-blowing. “Just Like Zeus” sounds like a typical Jenny Lewis song, which does make for the obvious redundancy that appears on the album. The song tends to be a series of monotone harmonies between Lewis and Rice.  Same goes for “Committed,” as Lewis’ ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ grow tiresome while Rice shows his inability to provide vocal flexibility within a track.

At times, I’m Having Fun Now is as enjoyable and upbeat than Lewis’ solo work, yet Jenny and Johnny make me yearn for vintage Rilo Kiley. They seem to be trying to sound way too “indie” at times, which makes for the annoying tracks. The duo is a different kind of retro than found in Rilo Kiley’s Under the Blacklight, and it’s not always such a bad thing. Look beyond the repeat offenses from Lewis and you’ll love this album.

Recommended —–> “Big Wave,” “Animal,” “Scissor Runner”