Rejoice to the heavens oh ye of Jellyfish obsessed searches for bands that remind one of the great departed pop band, whose legendary status grows as the years move on. Checkpoint Charley highlight gorgeous heaven-ward soaring vocals, soft keyboard washes, lush guitars and even more angelic vocals! The songs are compelling and musically complex, often taking unexpected turns to surprise ears trained to hear the sameness of modern pop. Other bands that Jellyfish, Tories fans may recognize this reminds us of are Umajets and Tales Untold, for those in the know of these cool, departed bands. As it was with E.F. Hutton, when names like Jellyfish
and The Tories are dropped as reference points for a band, people listen. Such is the case with Checkpoint Charley, a quartet whose full-bodied harmonies, dynamic melodies, and tantalizing chord changes will
remind listeners of the aforementioned pop music legends. The Tories influence on Songs One Through Twelve is in large part the work of keyboardist, engineer, and co-producer Stuart Brawley, who also
twirled the knobs on The Tories album The Upside Of Down, but credit should also be given to singer/songwriter Kevin Packard, whose lead vocals
have a similar timbre and strength of emotion as those of Tories main man Steve Bertrand, as well as to co-songwriter Jesse Anderegg.
"Songs like the anthemic "Free," "Bellyfish," (very cute, guys), and "Heroine" are just what the doctor ordered, while "Cardiac Arrest" has the sort of whimsy that Spilt Milk fans will appreciate. Other standouts include the descending-chord ballad "Another Veronica," the sprightly "Go Away," and the very pretty "Dreamer". The overall production of the album is a standout as well, sounding very much like a huge budget, major label job when it obviously wasn`t. Songs One Through Twelve is a very good beginning which will make fans of the genre clamor for songs thirteen through twenty-four."(unknown, we`ll find out who wrote this). ""Man, let me tell you, that CD is not good, it`s GREAT! I love everything...the songs (good hooks) the vocals, the playing and the production...all good
...well done!"-Billy Amendola, Modern Drummer. Rejoice, pure, unfiltered power pop inspired the great gods of Jellyfish has come down from heaven. Big Time Extremely Highly Recommended!
 Cardiac Arrest - mp3
Free - mp3
Bellyfish - mp3
Speechless - mp3
Mother Veronica - mp3
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