Infinite Shuffle

The versatility of Jupiter One’s sound can make for a fun listen, but it also makes it tough to pin down an apt description of the band.

They sound like a mix of a lot of popular bands, but it’s difficult to pinpoint which ones. A good place to start might be The Killers and The Bravery, with a little Bloc Party thrown in for good measure.

The indie quintet from Brooklyn is grounded in pop-rock and leans heavily on keyboards and, to a lesser extent, the synthesizer.

Their self-titled debut, which came out in 2007, is loaded with catchy tunes — many of which have found their way into a slew of television, movie, commercial and video game soundtracks.

Some of the standout songs include “Countdown”, “Fire Away”, “Turn Up the Radio”, “Mystery Man” and “Platform Moon” — that last one definitely leans toward the electro sound of such bands as Empire of the Sun, The Presets and Cut Copy.

Considering the high marks of the introductory album, I expected nothing less from the follow-up, Sunshower, which dropped last year. Unfortunately, I was left rather disappointed.

Sunshower is definitely inferior to its predecessor. It’s a mix of stuff that just doesn’t live up to the awesomeness of the debut.

Sometimes, a band’s sound will only change a little from one album to the next. Other times, the contrast is much more stark. Jupiter One (which, by the way, took their name from the ship in the ’60s TV show “Lost In Space”) definitely falls into the latter.

Part of the problem is the wide range of influences the band tries to jam into one album. One second they’re channelling The Cars and Foo Fighters, the next they’re churning out some jazzy-rock that harkens back to the ’70s.

Admittedly, after giving it a second listen, Sunshower had grown on me a little. Part of my contempt is the fact that I put the first album on such a high pedestal that there was no way the band could live up to my lofty standards.

Some of the better songs on this one were “Come On”, “Lights Go Out” and “Volcano”.

You can listen to eight tracks, covering both albums, at their MySpace page.