JET - Shaka Rock [Album]

Real Horrorshow Records / EMI

September 19, 2009, 10:41 PM

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Australian rockers JET are finally back with their third full length "Shaka Rock," and no, there isn’t an 'Are you gonna be my girl,' but then again I still have my copy of "Get Born" for that. What matters is that we have twelve new original JET songs and eight out of the twelve are damn good Rock’n’Roll tunes so well done to the Aussie dudes!

From the opening 'K.I.A (Killed In Action),' which was made available before the album release on the band’s official website, it is clear that JET haven’t changed direction. "Shaka Rock" is a different album from the worldwide acclaimed "Get born" however and even more so from the controversially welcomed "Shine on." cAlthough sticking to their seventies Rolling Stones inspired brand of joyful Rock’n’Roll, JET have taken the time to slightly experiment and find a sound that is softer than their debut, but definitely has more “va va voom” than their second release.

'Beat on Repeat' is a good track but wouldn’t particularly shine in my opinion if it wasn’t for Nic’s velvety, yet rough vocal chords. The Official first single 'She’s a Genius,' which steals the legendary riff from 'My Sharona' and the chorus from Steadlur’s hit 'Bumpin’,' is one of the catchiest pop rock tracks I have heard for a while. It might not replicate the success of 'Are you gonna be my girl' but with the same airplay opportunities it may well get close.

'Black Hearts (on fire)' grows on you every time you listen to it and sounds like a winner live, giving away the band’s strong Rolling Stones influence at the beginning then breaking into an infectious AC/DC inspired riff. 'Seventeen' takes it down a notch, but still keeps the gasoline burning with yet another powerful, catchy riff supporting the chorus. 'La Di Da' is quite simply a Seventies’ gem, with some of that note-chasing feel that got us all dancing and shaking it to 'Are you gonna be my girl.' Follow up 'Goodbye Hollywood' sounds more like a good nostalgia track from the Eighties, a kind of hair metal band meets Reef and as if JET wrote this song together while listening to good old blues music. I quite like it, in a Quireboys kind of way.

Then comes 'Walk,' good but maybe one of the weakest links in this album; a catchy chorus and some good ideas but in some way I think they end up clashing and by the end of it you just get the feeling it hasn’t delivered. 'Times like this'..... now if this song was coming from any acne bearing pop punk band it would be an excellent song, I would more than likely raise my hands to the sky and thank the Gods for Rock’n’Roll but when compared to the rest of "Shaka Rock" it’s just lame, not to mention the awful lyrics: if they forget them while playing it live and improvise, I’m sure they’ll do a better job. The pop punk moment goes deeper with the even weaker 'Let me out.' Thumbs up for trying different things on the same album if this was the intention, but these last two sound a bit like fillers to me, which would be silly, since apparently they had way too much material to choose from.

It’s Rock’n’Roll again with 'Start the Show,' but I can’t see much of an improvement in originality compared to the last three. Imagine this song as if the aforementioned acne bearing pop punk band grew long hair and set up a soft rock/metal cover band to play at the local pub. Thank God the compulsory ballad comes on to leave us something good to remember this album by. 'She holds a grudge' is probably nothing too new (is any ballad?), but it’s definitely a good heart warming melodic rock piece.

All in all, "Shaka Rock" has a brilliant start that sadly seems to drop a bit towards the end however, it is all pleasant and a totally good listen. I don’t expect twelve singles out of twelve from anyone, so I’m quite happy with this statistic. "Shaka Rock" is a good, honest, joyous, Rock’n’Roll album where different influences are wisely used to create a sound that will say ‘JET’ as soon as you hear it on the radio.

Technically, the JET members have always been quite proficient, and the album is well produced without being overproduced (as it was the case with “Shine on”). You can tell the band was inspired and focused. The break after the second album and related promotion must have done them well. I’ve read contrasting reviews about "Shaka Rock," so what I will say is if you liked JET before you won’t be disappointed by "Shaka Rock." If you like simple honest cheerful Rock’n’Roll, some sweet guitar riffs and feel good, catchy hooks, "Shaka Rock" is a must-buy. If you are looking for an "Are you gonna be my girl," you can find it on their first release, "Get Born" from 2003. However If you are looking for something epic that you have never heard before and is absolutely genius, I would suggest you keep reading Altsounds!

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