San Francisco’s Jellyfish were underappreciated during their existence in the early 1990s, but have since gained a devoted following. Their power-pop is fun and sometimes bombastic, but is often also sincere. They’re notable for their ornate arrangements, especially on 1993’s Spilt Milk, where their harmonies are reminiscent of The Beach Boys or Queen. Jellyfish were also notable for their live shows, where lead singer and drummer Andy Sturmer performed with a standing drum kit. The group’s other constant member was keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning Jr; the pair had previously played together in Beatnik Beatch.
Unfortunately, Jellyfish only released two albums, and 1990’s Bellybutton essentially feels like a warm-up for Spilt Milk. I also have a 20-song compilation, but I don’t think it’s worth covering despite a few interesting b-sides – it’s more satisfying to hear their two albums in their entirety. But despite their small discography, I’ve given them a dedicated page, and I also have solo albums by Jason Falkner, who played guitar on Bellybutton, and Roger Joseph Manning Jr, which I’ll cover sometime.
1990, 7.5/10 Jellyfish were formed by the songwriting partnership of Roger Manning and Andy Sturmer after their previous band Beatnik Beatch didn’t allow them to contribute songs. Their 1990 debut, Bellybutton, synthesises influences like XTC, The Beatles, and Cheap Trick into an enjoyable blend of lush, harmonised power pop. Manning and Sturmer were joined on Bellybutton by guitarist Jason Falkner, who left before its sequel, as Manning and Sturmer didn’t allow him to write songs for the group.
The stripped-down songs on Bellybutton make the strongest impression. ‘I Wanna Stay Home’ is pretty and poignant, while ‘Baby’s Coming Back’ bounces along like a 1960s bubblegum pop single. Songs like ‘Now She Knows She’s Wrong’ and ‘That Is Why’ showcase the band’s detailed harmony arrangements.
Bellybutton is good in its own right, but it also feels like a dry run for 1993’s more expansive and more impressive Spilt Milk.
Spilt Milk
1993, 9.5/10 Bellybutton was a likeable debut from Jellyfish, but Split Milk raises the ante significantly, with more memorable songs, more complex arrangements, and more punchy guitars. While their sound is comparable to many prominent bands, and there are traces of The Beach Boys on ‘Sebrina, Paste, and Plato’ and of XTC, Spilt Milk feels most influenced by Queen, with the big harmonies and hard guitar textures. While the core of the band – the song-writing team of Sturmer and Manning – is intact from Bellybutton, the rest of the band has changed, with new players on guitar and bass, while Jon Brion also provides some guitar.
Spilt Milk hits its straps on songs like ‘Glutton of Sympathy’ and ‘New Mistake’, which combine huge vocal hooks, stacks of harmonies, and detailed arrangements, producing some of the most intoxicating pop songs of the 1990s. There’s also the opening 1-2 punch of the gentle ‘Hush’ leading into the rock of ‘Joining A Fan Club’, and more brilliant pop of ‘The Ghost At Number One’. Spilt Milk tails off a little as it explores more esoteric territory; the album benefits from the diversity, but songs like ‘Russian Hill’ aren’t as memorable as the huge, hooky sound that Jellyfish specialise in.
Spilt Milk is a power-pop classic, and it contains some of the most irresistible pop songs of the 1990s.
10 Best Jellyfish songs
Glutton of Sympathy New Mistake The Ghost At Number One Joining a Fan Club I Wanna Stay Home That Is Why Too Much, Too Little, Too Late Baby’s Coming Back He’s My Best Friend Worthless Heart
Aphoristic Album Reviews is almost entirely written by one person.
Graham Fyfe is probably the only music blogger to appreciate both Neil Diamond and Ariana Grande. Based in Fleet Street (New Zealand), he's been writing this blog since around 2000. Aphoristic Album Reviews features reviews and blog posts across a growing spectrum of popular music.
Review Pages
Read about the discographies of musical acts from the 1960s to the present day. Browse this site's review archives or enjoy these random selections:
The following albums have scored at least a 9 on this site, 10/10s are in bold. There are lots of artists who I’d like to cover that I haven’t got to yet, including classic rock giants like The Kinks and The Who, and more music from the 21st century. AABBA – […]
Brandy Clark was born in Morton, Washington, a small logging town. She grew up enamoured with country music, naming the Patsy Cline movie Sweet Dreams as a particularly vivid influence. She took time out from music in her teens, attending Central Washington University on a basketball scholarship. Accordingly, Clark was […]
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As he helpfully informs us in his song ‘Leningrad’, Billy Joel was born in ‘49, a Cold War kid from Long Island, New York. As a teenager, he enjoyed the music of The Beatles and Traffic and began playing in local bands. After stints in psychedelic bands and the power […]
David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash all started their careers in other notable 1960s bands. Crosby left The Byrds after disagreements over counter-cultural songs like ‘Triad’ and ‘Mind Gardens’, Stills’ Buffalo Springfield broke up after tensions with band-mate Neil Young, while Nash left The Hollies after their decision to […]
Natalie Prass was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. She went to Berklee College of Music and served as a keyboardist in Jenny Lewis’ backing band. Prass signed with Matthew E. White’s Spacebomb Records and released her debut album in 2015. Prass’ career is only two […]
Blog Posts
I add new blog posts to this website every week. Browse the archives or enjoy these random selections:
If you’re not from Australasia, chances are that you’re not familiar with Dave Dobbyn – he’s ubiquitous in New Zealand, but obscure everywhere else. When a panel selected the New Zealand’s best ever popular songs in 2001, five Dave Dobbyn songs were included in the top 30 (and ‘Outlook for […]
Bassist Ashley Hutchings and rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol formed Fairport Convention in 1967. They named the band after Nicol’s father’s medical practice, above which they rehearsed, on the same Muswell street as the Davies brothers of The Kinks grew up. Lead guitarist Richard Thompson and drummer Martin Lamble joined the group, along […]
Natalie Merchant recently released her sixth solo album, Keep Your Courage. It seems like a good opportunity to revisit her catalogue. On this countdown, I rank her albums as a solo artist and as the lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs. I only included studio albums of original material – this […]
Todd Rundgren emerged in the late 1960s as guitarist and songwriter for the Philadelphia rock band The Nazz. He’s scored a few recognisable hits – the early 1970s soft-rock of ‘Hello, It’s Me’ and ‘I Saw the Light’, as well as the goofy 1980s singalong ‘Bang the Drum All Day’. […]
British soul collective Sault have broken almost every rule of album-making during their brief career. Debuting in 2019, they’ve already released 11 studio albums; yet they’ve never played live or given an interview. Their already sizeable catalogue has taken in everything from smooth R&B to raw post-punk, gospel-tinged soul to […]
Dire Straits emerged at the height of punk in the UK, where Mark Knopfler’s smooth and accomplished guitar playing was at odds with the prevailing trends. Coupled with Mark Freuder Knopfler’s questionable taste in sweatbands, Dire Straits were never cool. Most of these ten tracks are taken from 1980’s Making Movies and […]
Been a while since I listened to Jellyfish. Thanks for reminding me about them.
Cool, fun band! I only just learned about Imperial Drag recently