Type Casting

MORE THAN A FEELING: "It's not hard to write pop-rock," says Tommy Ciccone (right). "It is hard to write good pop-rock."

The Jealous Type unravel pop's mysteries on their big debut, Farewell to Open Arms.

by A.D. Amorosi

"We never thought it was a crime to write catchy melodies," says Tommy Ciccone of The Jealous Type. He and the rest of the Philly-based band just finished mixing their big pop debut, Farewell to Open Arms, at Ciccone's studio, The Rehab. The singing, songwriting guitarist isn't defensive about the glistening, infectious chords, snap-crackled rhythms or slick precision behind songs like "The Hardest Part" and "Second Sleep."

He's zealously on the offense.

The Jealous Type tried being a glam band for a second. Ciccone still has Philly's best shag-do to prove it. It didn't last. They're too lazy to be contrived.

As long as he can clothe Jealous' plush-but-punchy melodies in relevant musical robes, Ciccone's content. "We always took heat — still do — from a lot of people, indie scenester wannabes mainly." For writing pop? God's musical nectar?

Maybe you shouldn't like The Jealous Type.

They litter their conversations with references to ELO, Hall & Oates and Boston. There's more syrupy contagion and honey-soaked harmony in Ciccone's bridges than most grim Pitchfork pets could fit into a lifetime of dread. There's a might to Type's vein-straining, clarion vocals.

But at a time when lo-fi anything has gone from being an elegant display of disdain and subtlety to merely a fey lazy habit amongst alt-rock's mopiest, The Jealous Type has a cunning way of lifting your head and slapping you in the face with soaring emotional vocals and catchy hooks in the way only the highest grade radio rock and gleaming power pop could.

You should love The Jealous Type.

"Fuck the detractors," says Ciccone. "The Jealous Type likes to leave [other bands'] shows with songs in our head to take with us. Is that wrong? A vehement unanimous hell no!"

The gospel of gutsy effervescence has been their mission since the start. With the exception of Scott Frassetto, the 29-year-old drummer Ciccone met as part of the post-Tidewater Grain act, B.R.A.N.D.O., the rest of the band, all 24 years old, has known each other since childhood. "They were angry young metalheads," says keyboardist Mike Weyes, of Ciccone and bassist Matt Hyatt. "The first time they met, Matt asked Tommy to punch him in the face as hard as he could to see how it felt for some juvenile, Fight Club-esque reason."

Ciccone spent his latter teens adrift in local bands (piano for Ty Cobb, bass for B.R.A.N.D.O.), recruiting members of Sonny Sixkiller and CKY for an early version of Jealous in 2001. By 2003, he had reunited with Hyatt and Weyes and the glue stuck.

After playing downtown clubs and making their bones on the interstate all-ages circuit, The Jealous Type happened onto Abilene, the South Street room that's become a comfort zone for fans and band alike for their regularly scheduled residencies. "Everyone comes for the right reason: the music. Not to be seen." The Jealous Type also began to play regularly at Grape Street Pub in Manayunk. That this route — Abilene, Grape Street — was the same one used by J-Records-signed rockers Silvertide is not lost on Ciccone. "Our old management [Dangerous] had a hard-on for the Abilene residency thing since they obviously knew of the local lore concerning Silvertide's rise to fame. We liked the idea of people knowing where they could see us conveniently every week, since we've been working on this record for a while."

From its lush, clean production to its Technicolor instrumentation, Farewell to Open Arms is memorable, its blunt melodies utterly engaging. "The production was intended to be slightly grandiose," says Ciccone. "We weren't afraid to use reverbs and delays. If we wanted to sound like we recorded it in a garage on a four-track, we would have done just that not rented nice spaces with great gear.

"It's not hard to write pop-rock," says Ciccone. "It is hard to write good pop-rock, the kind that doesn't end up sounding contrived or rehashed."

To that end, honesty really is the best policy, he says. "Say it and play it like it is. Believe what you're singing."

The Jealous Type
Farewell to Open Arms
(self-released)
Couched in glam crackling guitars, smart dry rhythms and judiciously applied ARPs (nothing sells The Cars' '80s like an ARP sequencer), Farewell's metal-tinged melodies are irresistibly "up." Built for speed, accuracy and taut pop grandeur, sweet lean anthems "Brand New Soul" and "Temporary High" exude bruised luck and busted romance without lingering despair or emo rumination. Even slowed down to a chopped grunge rumble ("Starstruck"), The Jealous Type kick up their Cuban heels. A big part of the ebullience comes down to Tommy Ciccone's voice, a cleanly distinct, polyp-pulsing baritone whose shouts are as harmonious and elegant as his whispers.

The Jealous Type perform Thu., March 31, 10 p.m., $5, with Halestorm, Downcast and Rebel Saints, Abilene, 429 South St., 215-922-2583.