JET- Shaka Rock Album Review

JET is set to release their new album Shaka Rock on Tuesday, August 25th. The fine people at 10th Street Entertainment sent us their new CD for an exclusive review while we were harassing their other clients for RUFKM.NET's "13 Stupid Questions" interview series.

Between asking offensive questions to Drowning Pool, Charm City Devils, and The Last Vegas, 10th Street Entertainment confirmed that the members of JET were all still alive and - according to their new publicity photo - have showered at least once since their 2003 debut album Get Born. These formally greasy Aussie bastards sold a shit ton of their debut album on the strength of the singles "Stone Cold Bitch" and "Are You Gonna Be My Girl." I bought it, so did 3 million others.

They toured with the Stones and even signed a lucrative contract with Carnival Cruise Lines for the rights to use "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" for an advertising campaign. Or maybe that was Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life." We get confused. Rumor has it that JET released a second album called Shine On in 2006. I didn't buy it, neither did anyone else except the for the owner of a boomerang shop in Sydney.

Then they retreated back to the land of kangaroos, dingos, and Paul Hogan fan clubs. They were never heard from again.

Until now.

A better title for Shaka Rock would've been Reborn. It's simply a solid rock album.

I heard the first single "She's a Genius" a few months ago and it showed promise with an infectious chorus and it's My Sharona-ish guitars. The album does not disappoint. JET has returned with a larger, more produced sound while still retaining their basic style.

Cover: They say that you can't judge a book by it's cover... but that's complete bullshit. Back in the day before instant download gratification I would discover new music by perusing the local music store impulsively buying CDs based on the cover. This worked more often than not. Based on this example, JET's new CD Shaka Rock would've been purchased immediately, if not sooner.

The cover shows a Fed Ex-sized van covered in Shaka Rock graffiti, engulfed in flames. It's to the point and reminds me in spirit of the destroyed plane on the Beastie Boy's License to Ill. I'm sure it's photoshopped but I like to imagine the members of JET getting wasted on Fosters, throwing a Molotov cocktail at the van, vandalizing the other vehicles in the parking lot, and then punching the lead singer of fellow Australian rockers The Vines in the ballsack. Maybe that's just me.

Lead Track: While every great rock album has to have a killer first track to set the mood, JET makes sure this is accomplished by including the work "kill" in the title. They also remind you that you are listening to JET by adding the sound of a jet taking off. I found this to be a helpful reminder that I was listening to JET. I wish all bands would start their albums the same way. Ice Cube could use the sounds of ice cubes clinking in a glass, KISS with lesbians kissing, and Hinder with goats fucking.

The song "K.I.A. (Killed In Action)" sounds gigantic and has elements that remind me of U2's Vertigo, a strange statement to make based on JET's former "garage band" style. But somehow this sounds natural.

Sequencing: This album flows. Besides "She's a Genius", the standout tracks are "Black Hearts (on fire) with it's hush/scream vibe, "Walk" which pulls off using the word "wherewithal" in the chorus, and "Seventeen" which is not a Winger cover (Dammit!).

Go buy this album so these guys don't end up working at Outback making Bloomin' Onions and you don't want them handling your food. Remember, they only use soap about once a year. It's just not sanitary.