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With a cartoon-like devotion to rock and roll that makes Angus Young look like Thom Yorke, they offend those who believe music should be simultaneously serious and ironical. But Jet have no time for such self-loathing. They have one mission, which is to write loud, daft and instantly familiar songs that shout “Look at me! Look at me! I’m doing a band!” at the listener, and to keep on doing it until they have filled up an album.
While they lack the grunginess of The D4 and The Datsuns, their nearest competitors (both musically and geographically), Jet are just as noisy and engaged. Their current single She’s A Genius is a perfect example, a tune that continues a great rock tradition of praising unusual women (from My Girl is Red Hot to Talking Heads’ Girlfriend is Better) and one that does so over a riff that’s so incontinently brilliant you expect a man with a shovel to be following it.
Jet’s roots may be in punk and rock’n’roll but – as befits a band with the same name as a Wings song – they know how to widen the brief. Seventeen (a title which lacks all originality but makes up for it with total catchiness) bounces down the road not only on big crunchy guitars but also a piano riff nicked from Foreigner’s Cold As Ice, some mad American power pop harmonies and a slightly insane butcher’s shop lyric about bleeding hearts decaying. Start the Show sounds like Supergrass channelling T.Rex, except with an idiot vigour and lack of distance that very few British bands could manage. And the final song here, She Holds a Grudge, which is also the longest at a whopping 4:17, is an almost Stonesy ballad (is that a pedal steel?) which aims for epicness without the bloat of a Coldplay or Verve.
Jet, then: three albums in and they’re still a lot of rough fun. They’re never going to be Oasis, but then, nor are Oasis… --David Quantick
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CD Description
Having established themselves on the international stage as a multi-platinum selling band with four million albums sold world wide, Shaka Rock closes the gap between the raw roots of 2003's Get Born and the grace and melody of 2006's Shine On. Shaka Rock captures the charisma and energy of classic rock and roll with just enough swagger and contemporary flair to create something distinctively Jet.
When talking about Jet’s three studio albums, Nic Cester says, "For better or worse every album is a real and accurate window into how we are reacting to our lives in that point in time which is why every album is uniquely different, and I think Shaka Rock is the most honest so far."
While Chris Cester says, "I can say that the band is thrilled with Shaka Rock in every conceivable way. We've had a don't think twice attitude throughout the making of this record which continues as we get ready to release it. I think Shaka Rock is like when TV went colour. It’s our musical equivalent. There are moments on this record that are just pure, and moments that just rock harder than we ever have before."
In a sea of modern rock bands, Jet are something uniquely different embracing all that was and is rock 'n' roll.
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Customer Reviews
Shaka Rock is a departure from the "Old Man Rock" direction of Shine On in that they revert to a more middle ground between that, and their exciting debut album Get On. What we have here is less of the slow ballads and more of the romping rock that we know and love. Things aren't as over-produced either, and some of that raw energy once again flows through. Also, unlike both previous outings, the album flows better. What we have here is a band wanting to perfect their record and it's all the better for it.
Whilst progression isn't vastly forthcoming, Jet has experimented with a few new sounds - particularly `Beat on Repeat' and `Seventeen'. Whilst neither of these are highlights of the album, they're not unwanted either. Overall the album is a success and will stay routed in your CD or MP3 player for weeks to come. Overall 8/10.
01. K.I.A. (Killed In Action): Whilst a decent start to the album, it suffers from needing repeat playing as it sounded very mediocre on first listen. I'd have liked to have seen this later on the playlist. 7/10
02. Beat on Repeat: Ok, on first listen you think `What the hell?' But if you can get past the distinct Dance/Rock style with a Drum n' Bass vibe, there is some good stuff here. Sure, it's quite a departure for Jet, but to a degree it works well. With that said, I did find that it gets boring quite quickly, despite its short duration. 6/10
03. She's a Genius: After a disappointing couple of tracks we get to the first single off the album - and one which is eerily reminiscent of 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl', the hugely successful song from their debug album. If this is the only song you've heard so far, it is a strong indication of the quality on offer from album as a whole. 8/10
04. Black Hearts (On Fire): This is Jet at their finest, with a typically raw sounding and catchy chorus. After a worrying start, the album shifted gears with potential single material. 9/10
05. Seventeen: This doesn't sound like a Jet song at all. The fact that it's pretty good shows how they are progressing, albeit in bite-sized chunks! Contrary to over reviews I've read, I felt that this song got repetitive and old too soon. Good, but no cigar. 6/10
06. La Di Da: Easily the most memorable track on my first play through and it still stands out on repeat playing. At its epitome is an extremely catchy chorus and Jet at their very powerful best. To me this highlights how Shaka Rock is more of an amalgamation of both the raw rock sound of Get Born and the warm sound soft rock sound of Shine On. 9/10
07. Goodbye Hollywood: This will undoubtedly be a future single and is probably the strongest track on the album. Stick it on repeat and you'll be screeching along to this at every opportunity. 10/10
08. Walk: One of the weaker tracks on the album. There's nothing terrible about it other than being unremarkable and easily forgettable. 6/10
09. Times Like This: Now this is a great anthem. Whilst Jet have never been lyrically distinguished, songs like this show a remarked improvement. It builds into a right stormer too, and is the start to very a strong ending to the album. 8/10
10. Let Me Out: Heavily influenced and hugely commercial and none the worse for it either. You'll be singing along to this song in the car for weeks to come. Fabulous stuff indeed. 9/10
11. Start the Show: An aggressive rock track with bundles of energy and some rollicking rock riffs. This should definitely have been the opening track to the album. 8/10.
12. She Holds a Grudge: The only ballad on the disc and it's a complete cracker. Vocally, this is brilliant and one of my favourite Jet songs. "Once in my life I'm gonna say sorry before I die. Baby I'm sorry, so sorry, I apologise. Babe when I hold you then you will know you're my woman." Superb. Even the funky Beatles-esque mid section isn't out of place. One thing Jet always does is end an album well. 10/10
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