Release Date: Jun 21, 2011
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Record label: Infinity Cat Recordings
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These brothers, neither named Jeff, take the punk-blues duo to a new low: Frontman Jake Orrall plays guitar with only three bottom strings. When he and drummer Jamin cut loose in the fuzz bullets "Cool Out" and "Ripper," Jake sounds like Johnny Ramone power-strumming a cello. The Orralls' last effort was rightly called Heavy Days; their songs are often just a couple of chords and high speed.
Nashville's JEFF the Brotherhood are two brothers, Jamin and Jake Orrall. One's on guitar and vocals; the other mans the drums. They also co-run Infinity Cat Recordings with their father, singer/songwriter Robert Ellis Orrall, the only man in the world that can say he wrote songs for Shenandoah and Lindsay Lohan. JEFF's been an ongoing concern since 2002, but the brothers Orrall have logged time in plenty of bands, including the earliest incarnation of Be Your Own Pet.
For a couple of dudes who most likely don’t spend many of their waking hours without a cold beer or something to smoke nearby, brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall have pretty good heads for business. The bros, sons of Nashville song doctor Robert Ellis Orrall, founded Infinity Cat Recordings while they were still in high school and have been not-so-quietly self-releasing music under the JEFF the Brotherhood moniker for nearly a decade. With Jamin behind the drum kit and Jake singing and strangling a three-string guitar, the brothers’ early recordings were packed with punked up psychedelic jams, many of which stretched past the ten-minute mark.
If you’re going to name your album, We Are The Champions, you should be able to prove it. Brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall of JEFF the Brotherhood might think highly of themselves, but their new album doesn’t live up to that kind of self-proclaimed hype. Both brothers are great musicians, and have dabbled in the business for quite some time, together and apart.
Take one part good Weezer, one part Wavves, one part Nirvana and you might get the picture on what JEFF the Brotherhood is like. A high-octane garage rock duo from Nashville, Jake and Jamin Orrall are a lot of damn fun. Jake has a bit of Rivers Cuomo in his vocals, both in voice and melodic style. Hooks are what will win you over with JEFF–Jake is a master of hammering hooks out of this DIY punk aesthetic.
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