02-09-2010, 12:53
released August 31st, 2010
![[Image: o22802kxfza.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/dro200/o228/o22802kxfza.jpg)
from the album - Scissor Runner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GVnVBkAdXw
from all music
Bio
Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice began working together in 2005, when Rice made a guest appearance on Lewisâ first solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat. Lewis returned the favor by singing on Riceâs own solo debut, Trouble is Real, and the two continued their partnership when Rice joined Lewisâ touring band the following year. Following the Rabbit Fur Coat tour, Lewis and Rice began living together in Silverlake and working on new projects, including Riceâs sophomore effort Further North, Lewisâ Acid Tongue, and the Elvis Costello record Momofuku.
While touring in support of Acid Tongue, the two found themselves writing songs that were quicker and poppier than their previous material. Rather than release the new music on their respective solo albums, they formed Jenny and Johnny and traveled to Omaha, NE, where they spent the winter of 2009 recording a full album with Mike Mogis. The duo made their official debut one year later, when Iâm Having Fun Now was released in August.
Album Review
Certainly, the title Iâm Having Fun Now is a good indication of what the first album by LA lovebirds Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice is all about. Lewis may be regarded as one of the finest singer/songwriters of her generation but her ambitions are kept in check here: all she wants to do is have some fun and maybe get some people to pay attention to her longtime boyfriend who has had several attempts at the brass ring â most notably the major-label 2007 Further North, which did get him some play on the OC â but has never managed to grab it. An album-length duet with Jenny does force Lewis admirers to pay attention to Johnny but Iâm Having Fun Now doesnât do him any enormous favors. Heâs handily overshadowed by Lewis who has a professionalâs knack for grabbing the spotlight even as sheâs seeming to step away from it. Whenever sheâs out front, Iâm Having Fun Now kicks into gear, its unassuming country-rockers given gas by her natural ease and it sputters whenever he steps to the mike, losing its momentum and focus. Riceâs voice is too sweet and thin to command on his own and when heâs paired with Lewis heâs simply steamrolled, fading into the background like a second acoustic guitar. So, as a career-boost for Rice, Iâm Having Fun Now doesnât quite work but itâs an unforced good time anyway. Itâs of piece with Acid Tongue, carved from its same country-rock, but its not weighed down by rustic mythology, it substitutes pop flair for roots-rock. Its casualness sometimes surfaces in its tossed-off jokes or sing-song melodies, but that only underscores that Jenny & Johnny are having a good time â and itâs a good time thatâs easy to share even if one of the hosts doesnât quite hold up his own end of the bargain.
Track Listing
1 Scissor Runner Jenny and Johnny 2:58
2 My Pet Snakes Jenny and Johnny 3:37
3 Switchblade Jenny and Johnny 3:35
4 Big Wave Jenny and Johnny 3:53
5 While Men Are Dreaming Jenny and Johnny 2:23
6 Animal Jenny and Johnny 3:40
7 Just Like Zeus Jenny and Johnny 2:39
8 New Yorker Cartoon Jenny and Johnny 4:14
9 Straight Edge of the Blade Jenny and Johnny 3:51
10 Slavedriver Jenny and Johnny 2:13
11 Committed Jenny and Johnny 2:44
from the album - Scissor Runner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GVnVBkAdXw
from all music
Bio
Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice began working together in 2005, when Rice made a guest appearance on Lewisâ first solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat. Lewis returned the favor by singing on Riceâs own solo debut, Trouble is Real, and the two continued their partnership when Rice joined Lewisâ touring band the following year. Following the Rabbit Fur Coat tour, Lewis and Rice began living together in Silverlake and working on new projects, including Riceâs sophomore effort Further North, Lewisâ Acid Tongue, and the Elvis Costello record Momofuku.
While touring in support of Acid Tongue, the two found themselves writing songs that were quicker and poppier than their previous material. Rather than release the new music on their respective solo albums, they formed Jenny and Johnny and traveled to Omaha, NE, where they spent the winter of 2009 recording a full album with Mike Mogis. The duo made their official debut one year later, when Iâm Having Fun Now was released in August.
Album Review
Certainly, the title Iâm Having Fun Now is a good indication of what the first album by LA lovebirds Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice is all about. Lewis may be regarded as one of the finest singer/songwriters of her generation but her ambitions are kept in check here: all she wants to do is have some fun and maybe get some people to pay attention to her longtime boyfriend who has had several attempts at the brass ring â most notably the major-label 2007 Further North, which did get him some play on the OC â but has never managed to grab it. An album-length duet with Jenny does force Lewis admirers to pay attention to Johnny but Iâm Having Fun Now doesnât do him any enormous favors. Heâs handily overshadowed by Lewis who has a professionalâs knack for grabbing the spotlight even as sheâs seeming to step away from it. Whenever sheâs out front, Iâm Having Fun Now kicks into gear, its unassuming country-rockers given gas by her natural ease and it sputters whenever he steps to the mike, losing its momentum and focus. Riceâs voice is too sweet and thin to command on his own and when heâs paired with Lewis heâs simply steamrolled, fading into the background like a second acoustic guitar. So, as a career-boost for Rice, Iâm Having Fun Now doesnât quite work but itâs an unforced good time anyway. Itâs of piece with Acid Tongue, carved from its same country-rock, but its not weighed down by rustic mythology, it substitutes pop flair for roots-rock. Its casualness sometimes surfaces in its tossed-off jokes or sing-song melodies, but that only underscores that Jenny & Johnny are having a good time â and itâs a good time thatâs easy to share even if one of the hosts doesnât quite hold up his own end of the bargain.
Track Listing
1 Scissor Runner Jenny and Johnny 2:58
2 My Pet Snakes Jenny and Johnny 3:37
3 Switchblade Jenny and Johnny 3:35
4 Big Wave Jenny and Johnny 3:53
5 While Men Are Dreaming Jenny and Johnny 2:23
6 Animal Jenny and Johnny 3:40
7 Just Like Zeus Jenny and Johnny 2:39
8 New Yorker Cartoon Jenny and Johnny 4:14
9 Straight Edge of the Blade Jenny and Johnny 3:51
10 Slavedriver Jenny and Johnny 2:13
11 Committed Jenny and Johnny 2:44