Jack Johnson - Sleep Through The Static

After listening to the newest Jack Johnson album, “Sleep Through The Static”, all I want to do is listen to it some more. On a personal level, it seems that the Hawaiian born singer, songwriter, surfer, and film-maker is constantly searching for something. This is very evident in the opening song, “All At Once”. He alludes to things not being right in the world, and that we should be strong enough to do something about them. But what do we do instead? We continue on in life, planting seeds and growing roots. “For what?” he asks. Is it a place in the afterlife? To leave a legacy? Or is it, as he says, “at least something we can hold”? I think the most definitive answer is another lyric, “nobody really knows”. Nobody really knows anything. Except, I do know, that this is one great album!

Jack Johnson, the avid environmentalist, has created this album from his solar-powered studio, and added keyboards and electric guitar to his simple acoustic guitar rhythms, but his lyrics are what really make this compilation exceptional. Yeah, if you just listen to the overall “sound” of the CD, you might say to yourself, “It all sounds the same”. But if you get into what he is trying to say, you will find yourself transfixed by his melodic poetry.

The song “Hope” for instance, on the surface, sounds like a fun-loving, reggae-style romp, until you hear the words that are underneath the Marley-style beat. There is an under-lying suffering that hasn’t been disguised in this manner since The Police did “Synchronicity”.

It’s gonna lift you up and let you down
It will defeat you then teach you to get back up
After it takes all that
You learn to love

I have read all of the lyrics a few times now, and I still don’t really know what “it” is. At first, I thought that “it” meant “hope”, but now, I realize, that “it” could be any one of a number of things; pride, love, drugs, emotion, greed, life, take your pick. If you happen to read this article, watch the video below, and leave a comment telling me what you think “it” is.

The title track, “Sleep Through the Static” is a great arrangement of thoughts that are stacked on top of one another and run together from beginning to end, and segmented by the chorus, which scolds us for going “beyond where we should have gone”, an obvious anti-war chant.

The 2 sections of verse, which are actually metered run-on sentences, remind me of the song “Scar Tissue” by Red Hot Chili Peppers. As a matter of fact, Jack’s vocals remind me of Anthony Kiedis, in spots, throughout the whole album.

Bravo to Jack for speaking his mind, and telling us that you don’t have to be labeled a traitor just because you don’t agree with war, and that being opposed to using brute force does not necessarily mean that you are weak.

A nice Strat solo with a marching snare drum takes this song to it’s conclusion stylishly.

I can continue to write down how each song from this album makes me feel, but I don’t want anyone reading this to have a pre-determined mental picture of what it is about. It is better to listen to it yourself, and let the lyrics bring out your own emotions. Be careful, though, your emotions may overwhelm you, as you ride this mental roller coaster. Not only do I recommend this album, but also consider it a MUST for any serious music collection.

Here is the songlist:

1. All At Once
2. Sleep Through The Static
3. Hope
4. Angel
5. Enemy
6. If I Had Eyes
7. Same Girl
8. What You Thought You Need
9. Adrift
10. Go On
11. They Do, They Don’t
12. While We Wait
13. Monsoon
14. Losing Keys

I compare this album to “Graceland” by Paul Simon. You probably won’t hear most of the songs on mainstream radio, but if you buy it and listen to it, you will still love it 20 years later, and the messages will still be relevant.

Also, take a minute to check out the Kokua Hawaii Foundation at www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org, an environmental awareness organization that Jack co-founded.