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Review |
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The first thing that springs to mind when you think
of Melbourne raised Aussie rockers Jet, has got
to be that catchy pop rock anthem ‘Are You
Gunna Be My Girl’. I can remember the countless
evenings I’ve spent ruining my voice trying
to warble my way through a karaoke version of the
song, or perplexing my plastic laden band mates
in a bellowing session on Rock Band. Since then
they’ve supported the rolling stones internationally,
immortalized in IPod commercials, and headlined
Big Day Out festival. All this culminating in the
bands need to take some time off after their latest
touring antics.
The guys return to us now with their 2009 outing
- Shaka Rock. Disappointingly the albums entrance
is probably its weakest factor. First track out
of the starting blocks ‘K.I.A (killed in
action)’ spends the first twenty five seconds
feeling promising, until it’s broken in
half with a “uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh”
chorus that made me die a little inside. Following
the initial splutter, second track ‘Beat
On Repeat’ fares no better. Repeat is certainly
a word you’d associate with it, sounding
like a half of one of their previous iPod adverts
has been spliced into this rather dull and monotone
track.
But hey, I want to like this album. So let’s
pretend these first two tracks weren’t there,
and Jet can lead us in for some real treats. So
I'm starting again. Here is my unofficial starting
point of Shaka Rock.
First single from the album and third on the
grid ‘She’s A Genius’ hits the
nail on the head. Nic Cester’s piercing
vocals are on top form. His vocal range within
the track is complemented beautifully with brilliantly
constructive guitar from Cameron Muncey. Mid song
finally allows Muncey a decent little solo. Strong
guitar riffs and structure certainly give the
album direction and focus. It’s a great
song choice to throw out to the wolves for a single
too. Good fun.
Other standout tracks ‘Black Hearts’
and ‘Goodbye Hollywood’ give the listener
that traditional warm Jet feeling inside. Feet
were instantly tapping away along with the catchy,
rhythmic pace found in each track. ‘Walk’
leads us on a path The Beatles wouldn’t
have strayed too far from. Some brilliant harmonies
and excellent pace changing solo work really give
it that classic rock feel, right before shuffling
back into melody. It’s diverse and unpredictable
direction kept me engaged and guessing all the
way through. Those pesky whoo-hoo-hoo’s
rear their ugly heads again briefly during ‘Times
Like These’ but the rest of the track seemed
pretty solid.
My pick of the bunch has to be the albums penultimate
track ‘Start The Show’. A most fantastic
three and a half minutes laden with huge classic
rock riffs, with giant howling guitars and soaring
vocals. Not to mention some gorgeous fret wankery
throughout. A Brilliant outro caps off a lovely
finish to the heavier part of this album.
The album comes to it’s conclusion with
a lovely melodic piece ‘She’s Holds
A Grudge’. Something you’d hear the
Stereophonics churn out, it concludes the record
nicely with its slower pacing and relaxed attitude.
I can see how Jet are trying to take Shaka Rock
in the direction of their initial inception. I
respect the fact that perhaps they’ve acknowledged
how second album ‘Shine On’ was targeted
at a more commercial/stadium rock market. It’s
nice to see the guys progressing in a way which
is more true to themselves. This form that has
allowed the band to grow and evolve. With success
in the past to boot.
All in all Shaka Rock isn’t an AC/DC album.
It’s not going to nudge the boundaries of
rock music in anyway, but then it doesn’t
need to. Ignoring their geographical pigeonholing
Jet has crafted a piece which is just some good
old fashioned fun. Ok yes, it has some crappy
crappy popisms in there. But these guys are a
pop rock band, its part of the package. But there’s
also some great tracks in there that really show
us what Jet can do on their A-game. If you’ve
loved Jet in the past, you’ll love this.
If you haven’t, then maybe it’s not
for you. But Jet are a solid band that has proved
them selves. Be it through the 8 times platinum
debut album, or their ability to refine their
direction after straying from their destined path,
its certainly good fun to listen to and at the
end of the day, is that what this crazy game called
music is all about?
3/5
Review by Phil Davies |
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| Band
Members |
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Nic Cester (Guitar, vocals)
Chris Cester (Drums, vocals)
Cam Muncey (Guitar, vocals)
Mark Wilson (Bass) |
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| Track
Listing |
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1. K.I.A (Killed In Action)
2. Beat On Repeat
3. She's A Genius
4. Black Hearts (On Fire)
5. Seventeen
6. La Di Da
7. Goodbye Hollywood
8. Walk
9. Times Like This
10. Let Me Out
11. Start The Show
12. She Holds A Grudge |
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| Band
Related Links |
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| Review
Score Code |
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- Top Cheese
- Brilliant
- Pretty damn good
- Ok I guess
-
What Was That? |
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