Rough Edge: Jet CD Reviews

JET

"Shine On" (Atlantic; 2006)

The land down under doesn't produce a whole lot of acts but when they do, watch out! Jet follows up their debut "Get Born" with this offering almost three years after, what a wave they rode. Their straight forward approach to rock'n'roll is refreshing and, when you just want to listen to a band that fuses the 70s with today, look no further.

The guitar is gritty and with some solos that sound more like The Rolling Stones than anybody else so fans of Keith Richards will have a new hero to keep in their minds. With rockers sandwiching the softer cuts (some with strings) Jet has a few styles to offer. The vocals can sway from an Oasis style to classic rock where The Beatles might be heard. It's not boring by any means.

When a ballad starts you might want to skip it, the music is still good but if you want to rock I suggest visiting the upbeat cuts. Sometimes the garage rock/blues guitar element sounds really good because they have such a stripped down sound, they make it work. 15 songs and 48 minutes later I'm a bigger Jet fan than before.

The shiny ones are "Holiday," "That's All Lies," "Hey Kids," "Stand Up," and "Rip It Up."

Jet: Nic Cester – vocals, rhythm guitar, piano; Cameron Muncey – lead guitar, backing vocals; Mark Wilson – bass guitar, keyboards, harmonica; Chris Cester – drums, percussion, backing vocals, guitar.

For more information, check out http://www.jettheband.com.

"Family Style" (Atlantic; 2004)

Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter

It soon became apparent to me that if I didn’t get around to reviewing Jet’s “Family Style” DVD the band would probably release their sophomore album before I took care of my reviewing obligations. Since I began to see Atlantic Records start the hype machine for Jet’s next CD I figured I’d better review “Family Style” properly. Here you go.

Despite the fact that I’d taken peeks at “Family Style” over the last 16 or so months I’d never really fully absorbed the full scope of the DVD. Basically “Family Style” is split into two parts – videos and concert footage – not unlike most music act based DVDs.

The video portion of “Family Style” consists of six videos – five songs with one song having two versions. As I was part of the original MTV generation, videos now strike me as a necessary evil rather than a new vehicle for creative expression. This is especially true for a new band with their eyes set on mainstream success. Accordingly, it’s hard for me to get too impressed with new videos. However, I easily understand the difference between large budget productions and low-budget productions in a band’s overall approach to marketing their songs. Jet utilizes both extremes to their advantage.

The concert footage is really good and covers all of their material from “Get Born.” The concert footage utilizes multiple cameras and the audio is well above average (furthermore, it sounded better on the computer than it did on a standard television). Sometimes the energy a band projects on stage adds to the musical elements – and that’s certainly the case here. Jet look both casual and aggressive in the on-stage appearance – it adds to the band’s aura.

The visual aspects of Jet don’t necessarily make me like or appreciate Jet any more or any less than in their purely aural aspects. The appeal of Jet comes from their hard rock foundation, cool infusion of pop melodies, and retro sensibilities. It’s a trend that I hope continues on their sophomore release.

Jet: Cameron Muncey, Nic Cester, Mark Wilson, and Chris Cester.

For more information visit http://www.jettheband.com.

"Get Born" (Elektra; 2003)

Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter

Clearly Jet were one of the biggest breakout acts of 2003 and their success continued into 2004. In all honesty, I'm reviewing Jet's debut "Get Born" in anticipation of watching their 2004 DVD release "Family Style."

I managed to catch glimpses of Jet's rise to stardom by the occasional glance at MTV (or was it MTV2?) showing videos of The Who stomp-like "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" and hearing the classic AC/DC riffs of "Cold Hard Bitch" on the radio. In fact, I remember when hearing "Cold Hard Bitch" I was saying to myself 'could this be the new AC/DC track or just another band in a long line of wannabes?' Well, it was clear to me by the time the track was over that it wasn't AC/DC, but at that time I hadn't put my finger on Jet as being the real deal or not.

As far as the tracks that are classic 'rockers' go Jet are the real deal. The band's sound may be retro but their enthusiasm is definitely born of honesty and real affection for the homeland mates AC/DC, classic rock sounds of The Who, and the bluesy swagger of giants like the Rolling Stones and flame-bursts such as The New York Dolls. For what it's worth, I think the best track on the album is "Get Me Outta Here" which was single number 5 or something like that – maybe it should have been the first single, no? On the other hand some of the rockers have a modern melodic sensibility – "Lazy Gun" is a perfect example.

For whatever reason I don't particularly care for Jet's ballads. I do appreciate the particular Rolling Stones vibe the ballads create, but I just didn't dig it. And I still don't after multiple attempts. It's bad enough Jet has to contend with 'sounds like' references to The Who and AC/DC. The ballads only cement another band's history to contend with.

The bottom line is that "Get Born" isn't terribly original but I don't think that it was intended to be original at all. Often referred to as a 'garage rock' band I much rather prefer to call the band another outfit paying homage to the great bands of the past in the traditional rock'n'roll style. And without a trace of irony – which is a great thing.

"Get Born" was produced by Dave Sardy.

Jet: Cameron Muncey on vocals and guitar, Nic Cester on guitar, Mark Wilson on bass, and Chris Ceser on drums.

For more information visit http://www.jettheband.com.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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