The Critics Are Going Humping Wild About J+J+J!!!

Other People's Words About "HUMP"...

URB Magazine:
"Overactive enclave with vaguely Christian values"
(3 1/2 Stars)
While most electro-clash artists are intent on flaunting their retro-trash sense of sexuality, Johnny Ludwig and Joanna Jablonski [the third "J" is for Jesus] are making relatively clean, wholesome music, albeit hyperactive. In each of their songs the duo takes a childishly simple concept and explores it briefly while, one can only imagine, freaking out and bouncing around uncontrollably to the frenzied pace of their music. On "SkeeBall Vs. the Mall" J, et al turns the most menial of decisions into a riotous deliberation. The rising chorus on "Insomnia Is a Sleeping Disorder" sounds something like a hook on a football cheer. The samples on "HighSchool? You Mean Inverted Caste System" draw from a gamut of radio-friendly sounds and tempos that generation Y will recognize, from early '90's freestyle music to rock 'n' roll. And it's precisely that mundane, referential middle-Americanism that makes "they hump..." dually relatable and entertaining.
-Stacy Dugan

www.truthexplosion.com
There is certain times in life where I actually wish I was a toddler. Someone's driving me completely fucking crazy and I just can't quite figure out how to shut them up. I have this crazy ability to make people feel better about horrible shit, but sometimes when someone just won't stop bitching it's kinda hard to get a point across. You know when a solution to a personal problem is as clear as day to you but the person with the problem just can't seem to clear the shit from their eyes long enough to see what's really going down. It is times like that I wish I could just switch on toddler mode. Watch the look on their face go from being pissed about being shafted somehow in life to now having to deal with the most insensitive prick on the planet. It just seems like the only reasonable way to deal with someone who's being completely unreasonable…in today's day and age…or so it seems. Sometimes people don't want to hear the voice of reason in the world. Sometimes people want to be fucking miserable and bitch and argue about pointless shit that's not gonna matter in a couple weeks. Sometimes music can be an unreasonable art obsessed bitch. Hell bent on taking itself seriously, bands forget the fact that this shits supposed to be really fun. It's sad to think that a sense of humor could be wasted on the music industry sometimes, we're lucky there's bands like this that remind us to fuckin cut loose and go ape shit from time to time.
For The Press People:
J+J+J , is the band you wished played consecutive gigs at your 6th 7th 8th and 9th birthday parties…then again on 25th.

neufutur.com:
For J+J+J, think a more spastic version of Junior Senior, tempered by the electro-buzz of Lolita Storm. The music has been completed in toto by electronic instruments, with tracks like "Skeeball Vs. The Mall" working its club magic with nothing more than a drum machine and a synthesizer The sound of the entirety of "They Hump While We Go Nuts" is very cohesive, as a casual listener will be hard-pressed to identify the beginning and ending of tracks at times. The continually bouncy nature of tracks like "Insomnia is a Sleeping Disorder" ties together the kitsch-rock of bands like B-52 and eighties R.E.M. with the current domination of the market by acts like "Camel Toe"-era Fanny Pack. The band is able to shift their sound enough to ensure that listeners are not tired of the same schtick by the fifth or the sixth track, as the increased tempo of "Portable Ultra Sound". The breakdown during the use of the piece of title equipment has to be one of the weakest moments on the disc, as everything besides an electronic beep stops for a few seconds. Another minor faux pas that J+J+J commits is during ""Suits" in Japan", where the tempo and the body of the track is too slow and Spartan to hold up the track during the droning vocals of Joanna. The minor Aqua-like dual vocals of Joanna and Johnny is a nice change during the track, but this sound is only attempted for a few seconds and is not able to reverse the act's fortunes. The band really shows their technical virtuosity (which makes sense since Joanna is a classically trained pianist) during "Vicious Advantage Opening/Closing Themes", but the inclusion of vocals during the track really dimishes the impact of this tour de force. The instrumentation during the track would easily be fitting for a midi backdrop in a game, but the screamed-out vocals present turn it into something that just does not feel very professional. A track like "Snowballs at Her Face" may have the sound of an Atom and His Package sound, but this only help's the disc a small amount. "They Hump While We Go Nuts" is a very uneven album ,and while there are some catchy tracks, there are also tracks that are challenging to experience. .J+J+J just need to be given a few more years to mature; this debut LP is strong but shows a number of rookie mistakes that hopefully will be fixed for their next outing.
Top Tracks: Snowballs at Her Face, Skeeball Vs. The Mall

Wavelength Zine
http://www.wavelengthtoronto.com/article.php?p=304

Les chroniques de Monsieur Wallace
http://monsieurwallace.blogspot.com/2005/10/jjj.html

Mammoth Press
Reviewed by: Ian Signore [Tue, August 02, 2005 @ 10:39:18 AM]
They Hump While We Go Nuts is one of the most fun albums I've had the pleasure of listening to in years. "What do you wanna do?" Joanna asks me on the opener, "Mosimy Meic Good Times!" (Which, aside from the cell phone call, is sung completely in Polish!). I already know my answer after hearing only the first song. Plunge into even more high jinks with Joanna, Johnny, and maybe even Jesus. Well maybe with only the first two J's.
From Chicago, J + J + J's first full length album is more energetic then an eight year old who's diet consist of a strict regiment of cotton candy, pixie sticks, and Red Bull energy drinks. From the karate noises at the end of, "Skeeball Vs The Mall" to the bouncy synths on, "Busrider/driver (Disk- "O" Vocal Mix)", there isn't a single moment to catch your breath. What fun is breathing anyways? The slowest, and probably most serious song on the album, is, "Suits in Japan" with lines like, "Never gonna be this young again / I don't wanna be a salary man, that's what they call suits in Japan". The Ferris Bueller shout-out in the middle of the song quickly dries my tears of depression and ignites the fun in me again.
The cell phone interruptions, monologues, and numerous remixes might peeve some people off, but for me it only adds to the albums personal feel. The, "thinking out loud" monologue at the end of, "Jobs That Require Headphones" is simply fantastic and thought provoking ("Um, and, I suppose like, also the pope might use them or something, when he's talking to God"). Both remixes at the end of the album are very well done, adding different takes on two of the best tracks off the album. Frankly, more is better when it comes to the wonderful eccentric qualities that J + J + J present.
I really want to meet Joanna and Johnny because I've come to the conclusion that they're my heroes and the coolest people I have ever met… even though I have never met them. Male and female vocals backed by awesome synth work and drum machines pretty much make my day, but when I found out that J + J + J are a couple, it made it mean so much more. Not only do the love what they are making, but also they love each other during the process. I guess it's just my fantasy to meet that girl who loves music as much as me and I'm glad to see that it's possible.
Rating: 9.4 out of 10

Chris Siuty, host of Underground Communique on WLUW F.M.
- Friday nights 11-2 -
1. world inferno friendship society - Me Vs Angry Mob - Label With the Golden Arm
2. Against Me - Searching for a Former Clarity - Fat
3. Krunchies - In Der Winkle - Criminal IQ
4. Modern Life is War - Witness - Deathwish
5. Angel Eyes - Something to do With Death - Underground Communique
6. Fourth Rotor - Plane - Underground Communique
7. Blonde Alibi - Tell Me Who it Was EP - S/R
8. Copyrights - Button Smasher 7" - S/R
9. Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks - Sideone Dummy
10. J+J+J - They Hump While We Go Nuts - Johann's Face
honorable mentions go to: Screeching Weasel reissues, Troubled Hubble, Far Rad, Coctails box set, the Briefs, Rollo Tomasi...

POPMATTERS:

J+J+J, They Hump While We Go Nuts (Circle Machine) Rating: 6
So tell me, how would you like to be listed as a "humper" on a nationally released album? There are six such "humpers" credited on J+J+J's They Hump While We Go Nuts, and the title of the album and the fact that it lists "humpers" in the credits probably tells you all you need to know about whether the album's for you. J+J+J consists of the boyfriend-girlfriend combo of Joanna Jablonski and Johnny Ludwig (the third 'J' is for Jesus, who plays a mean tambourine), and they're the couple in the apartment down the hall that's constantly breaking stuff, playing loud music, and laughing hysterically. This is synth-pop gone brown acid. When it's not being interrupted by random cell-phone calls and dialogue snippets, it's actually pretty catchy -- making a chorus that allows for singing along to the title of "High School? You Mean Inverted Caste System" is no small feat. Even with the classically trained fingers of Jablonski, nothing here is going to impress you with virtuosity or talent; it's just synthpop for caffeinated insomniacs who like to break stuff. Yes, it's an album with humpers, snowballs, yearbooks, shopping malls, a portable ultrasound machine ("We're going to look at your baby!"), and Jesus. What's not to like?
— Mike Schiller

Illinois Entertainer:
J+J+J stuff They Hump While We Go Nuts (Johann's Face) with more of their cutesy electro pop and jumbled dance beats. Random samples slither through tingling electronic bits and sonic fuzz. The insistent rhythms and chanting vocals sound like a friendlier, goofier Atari Teenage Riot, especially on "Skeeball Vs. The Mall"; on other tracks they dissolve into kitsch reminiscent of Pizzacato Five ("Insomnia Is A Sleeping Disorder"). (www.jplusjplusj.com)
– Patrick Conlan

copacetic-zine.com:
J + J + J = classically-trained pianist Joanna Jablonski and her boyfriend, Johnny Ludwig. Together, these two kooks create some mega-spazzy electro-synth-pop, with fun lyrics sung in both Polish and English. Who wouldn't love the boisterous "Skeeball Vs. The Mall" with its lyrics "Skeeball has wooden balls/ The mall has indoor stores"; I mean, heck yeah! And here's a sampling of other song titles: "HighSchool? You Mean Inverted Caste System", "Jobs That Require Headphones", "Hidden Closet Sandwich". This CD is bursting with 17-songs, calling to mind maybe the silly styles of Stereo Total or the crazed-cheerleader chants of Le Tigre. It's incredibly nuts, and honestly, I can only take so much of it! Good in small doses, like as a funny surprise song on a mix CD. (janice.10.05)

Booze is my Momma Blog
When music and gay-adorable intersect, you get this unstoppable little pill:
Remember that time you took acid and you and all your friends were sure that you saw a bar of Neutrogena soap in the hall floating above the carpet and you just tripped out for like the rest of your life because how the hell did you all see the same thing and why on earth would it be a bar of fucking soap? Well check this shit out: J+J+J are this guy Johnny and his girlfriend Joanna who live in Chicago and made a record in their bedroom. And the songs are about things like playing ski ball and running around sticking a portable ultrasound on pregnant strangers. And it's all this crazy electro-pop stuff that sounds like you're running through the streets of Tokyo really fast with a cartoon cloud of stars and glitter flying out of your ass after you while a flock of anime characters cheers you on and you ascend to some kind of Asian psychedelic heaven. Except Johnny and Joanna are these nice Christian types, so that third J in J+J+J is Jesus. And the album is called They Hump While We Go Nuts. And it's awesome!