Album Review: Jointpop – The Longest Kiss Goodnight
Rock music isn’t something I’d readily associate with Trinidad and Tobago, but it’s the home of Gary Hector’s Jointpop, formed from the ashes of Oddfellows Local, one of the Caribbean’s most successful rock ‘n’ roll bands. Listening to Jointpop’s debut long player ‘The Longest Kiss Goodnight’ wouldn’t give you any clues either. They’ve been variously compared to bands such as The Ramones, The Clash and Joan Jett, but the fact is Jointpop have listened to and been influenced by half the bands around in the eighties. In fact listening to Hector’s singing, I’d bet good money he spent a large chunk of his youth in front of a mirror trying to copy the affected singing styles of his pop heroes. This is no bad thing though (after all that’s how I spent my youth too), as although on pretty much every track you can pinpoint a band/singer as an influence (Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Psychedelic Furs and even Billy Joel) , Jointpop always bring their own music and personalities to the songs too. As for highlights, well album opener ‘Loveless Street’ for the vocal and ‘South Of France’ are my favourites but I found the whole album an absolute blast in a very eighties kind of way! 7/10
Mark Cousens
Out now on Anarchy On The Avenue
