The Summer Of Jaguar Love

Johnny Whitney has one of the most idiosyncratic, ridiculous voices in rock. A Sub Pop Records bigwig once told me, off the record of course, that he thought Whitney sounded "like a South Park character." After ten years of nut-squeezing screechery out front of Seattle's all-conquering post-hardcore art fiends Blood Brothers, the bewailin' blonde bombshell has rebounded from his old band's breakup with a brand new bag: Jaguar Love.

Formed by Whitney, his former Blood Brothers brother Cody Votolato, and ex-Pretty Girls Make Graves guitarist J. Clark, Jaguar Love bear plenty of passing similarities to Whitney's one-time side-project, Neon Blonde, who cranked out the killer Chandeliers In The Savannah platter back in the 0-5. Razing away Blood Brothers' frenetic, spastic guitar skree, the piano-centric Jaguar Love jams turn the little frontman into something resembling a fruity crooner.

This week Matador Records released Jaguar Love's debut self-titled EP, a sweet three-song taster to whet tastebuds for the release of the first J-Love longplayer, Take Me To The Sea in August.

The Matador Empire is begging you to try on their dime, too; posting the album's Bats Over The Pacific Ocean right about here. When one hears wee Whitney shriek (shriek, Johnny, shriek!) "I got evicted from this song/Oh, my voice is deformed!" it seems all too fitting.

Photo © [Michael Lavine]