The next great rock band always seems to be right around the corner. A short while ago, The Vines were supposed to fill the void. While they had their moments, the band ultimately resembled my diet - sure, cheese puffs are filling and delicious but there’s no lasting nutritional value.

A little further down the road came The Datsuns and so on and so forth. But no one seemed to live up to expectations.

So as I read about rock’s new saviors, Jet, the cynicism started creeping in before I’d even heard a note from the Australian phenoms. Admittedly, I expected Jet to come up somewhere between crap and mediocrity (which is really the same thing isn’t it?)

The release of Jet’s debut album just happened to coincide with my birthday, which meant I had some gift certificates to use up at crappy music stores. With a deep breath and a feeling of dread I snapped up Get Born and charged out of the mall as quickly as I could so I could listen to my new purchase. (Also because I felt like people were staring at me. Personal issues, don’t ask.)

I slapped the aforementioned CD in my changer and then…BOOM! My goodness this sounds like rock music. Good rock! Catchy rock! Jet’s own version of retro rock had me tapping my foot and twiddling the knobs on my air guitar. Tunes like “Are You Gonna be my Girl” have the authentic rock feel that we, or at least I, have been searching for.

The latest garage rock movement has been a godsend, but damned if most of these records aren’t just a little lacking on the melody side. Occasionally I like to tap my foot along to my music. Jet delivers.

Great rock albums usually deliver up delightful ballads as well, and Get Born is no exception. “Move On” is a Stones-esque affair that’s truly worthy of lifting your flaming lighter.

While their influences are certainly rooted in the past, Jet manages to avoid sounding like carbon copy knock-offs by adding a dash of punky attitude to the proven formula of blues-based rock. “Take it or Leave It” illustrates this point perfectly. It’s loud, aggressive and full of screaming. Mmm, that’s good medicine.

So if you like AC/DC, The Who, Rolling Stones etc., then Jet is most certainly a good bet. If you don’t like these bands, well then you’re probably a fucking schlep who’s masturbating to the newest Dave Matthews effort.

The strongest endorsement I can give Get Born is that it makes me want to pound beers excessively, which as all of you rock n rollers know is one of the watermarks of a great album. I leave you now as I throw up the devil sign and say, “Don’t stop a rocking!” (0) Comments