PJPJ – The Colors EP
Project Jenny, Project Jan, the band that refuses to be classified. I remember when my friend Michael sent me the first PJPJ EP, and for days I was in a sort of haze, trying to figure out if I loved it or if I hated it. I kept playing it for other people, demanding they tell me what I felt about this music. Most of them couldn’t really give me anything to chew on, either, so I just kept it in the rotation, trying to figure out what I thought.
Eventually, I realized it was pretty great. A wee bit uneven, but pretty great nonetheless. But then came XOXOXOXOXO, and they seemed to have worked out the kinks. I think the first EP experimented with SO many styles, it felt somewhat schizophrenic, whereas the LP (even though it still played fast-and-loose with genre) seemed like a solid whole that was designed to work as a whole. I’m big on albums, and being able to listen to something from start to finish, so it definitely appealed to me in that way.
You can imagine my excitement then, when I heard that they’d be releasing a new EP. But not just a PJPJ EP, it’s actually a collaboration with a number of different artists/friends, including Fujiya & Miyagi, Mixel Pixel, So Percussion, Adam Matta, Clack Singles Club and vocalists Katie Hasty of Numbers and Letters and Kellie Rae Powell. A portion of the profits from the EP sales will go to 826NYC, a non-profit that helps kids ages 6-18 develop expository writing skills, as well as helping teachers inspire their students to write. From what I’ve read, it seems like an excellent organization, so kudos to the boys for setting this up. Musicians are often seen by many as being far from altruistic, and only out to get their 15 minutes. It’s nice to see someone proving that perception wrong by putting their money where their mouth is.
The EP is out right now in iTunes, with an exclusive bonus track called ‘City Lights’. If you’re like me and like to hold things in your grubby little hands, you can order the physical EP here.
You can also read my disjointed and frequently tongue-in-cheek interview with the band back in August of 2007 here. In it, they discuss their musical interests, and name check several of their collaborators on this new EP, including Mixel Pixel and Fujiya & Miyagi.
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