Furthermore - Fluorescent Jellyfish

Day 6

Artist: Furthermore
Album: Fluorescent Jellyfish
Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Year: 1999
Genre: Pop Rap?

For fans of: Will Smith, Vanilla Ice, Toby Mac, KJ-52

When Furthermore released Fluorescent Jellyfish, the odd rap/rock/pop hybrid group consisted of Daniel Fischer, Lee Jester, and Jason Jester. The trio created an undeniably catchy album filled with strong hooks and oddly impressive additions like a solid guitar solo in the bridge of the opening title track. The closest comparison I can make for this album might be if Will Smith's riff-and-scratch-laden Men in Black 2 track "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)" were to be combined with the overbearing simplicity of radio commercial jingles. If you ever found yourself nodding your own head to Smith's movie track or enjoying the cultural references of songs like rapper KJ-52's "Cartoon Network," you'll feel right at home with this album.

For everyone else still reading, just give it a shot. It's an impressive gem of an album from a very short-lived group that's sure to please almost any fan of crossover rap. You'll find some incredibly insightful lyrics amidst the seeming absurdity of tracks like "Are You the Walrus?" that combines an incredibly simplistic piano and strings loop of Pachelbel's Canon with the much deeper topic of social apathy, even in the face of witnessing an implied domestic abuser in a supermarket. On a much lighter note, Marvel comics fans will really enjoy the deep well of references in the album's closer "Melted Vinyl," which manages to effortlessly drop references to even lesser knowns of the brand like Longshot, Strong Guy, and Blackbolt.

Find it on:  Amazon Music  (Unlimited subscription required), Apple Music, Deezer, Google Play Music, Spotify, YouTube Music