Label: EMI Music

With Jet set to play two shows this weekend in Melbourne in support of Powderfinger’s Sunsets Tour, it seemed as good of a time as ever to begin preparing for the gig by dusting off a copy of the group’s third album, Shaka Rock.  For a band who were originally hailed as saviours of rock n roll upon the release of their debut full length Get Born, Jet’s star is one which has fallen off the mainstream radar surprisingly quickly; emerging accusations of unoriginality and a rather sombre follow up in the form of Shine On proved that many of the groups supposed fans were very fair-weather indeed.  The release of Shaka Rock last August found Jet arguably at the lowest point of their career since breaking into the mainstream, and their response was to try and put out their most diverse album to date.  Panned almost universally upon its initial release, hindsight shows that while Shaka Rock is a somewhat troubled album, there is a lot more going on than may have originally been apparent.

So what was it exactly that happened in the six years between Get Born and Shaka Rock that seemingly caused everyone to desert Jet?  While most critics have claimed that the group has increasingly been unable to replicate the strong song writing of their debut album, it could perhaps be more to do with a shift in the band’s influences that occurred during this interim period.  If Get Born and Shine On collectively drew inspiration from the 60’s and 70’s, then Shaka Rock definitely finds it’s muse in the 80’s; funky bass lines and glittery guitar melodies abound as Jet attempt to stomp through forty minutes of glam fuelled rock.  As most music lovers know, the 80’s was a rather dark period for rock n roll, with many groups attempting half cocked efforts at mainstream crossover while others desperately tried to stay current by integrating corny synthesizer lines into their work.  Drawing influence from this time period was always going to be a bit of a gamble, and if overall Shaka Rock sounds a little half baked, well then this just proves how indicative of the period it is.

Another factor which led to criticism of Shaka Rock is the fact that its singles are fairly weak when compared to previous efforts; “She’s A Genius” has the big riffs and terse vocals to get the job done but is let down by a boring chorus, “Black Hearts (On Fire)” lacks the punch or speed that would have made the song memorable, while “Seventeen” is overall a bit of a mess with its overlapping piano and guitar melodies.  In retrospect, key cuts like the dub inspired “Beat On Repeat” or the Beatles meets hair metal of “Walk” would have made far more sense and helped improve the overall public perception of the album.  When compared to some of Jet’s early singles like “Rollover DJ” or the now iconic “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”, Shaka Rock’s offerings really don’t make the cut.

Elsewhere however, Jet make up for these rather lacklustre offerings.  First up is “Start The Show”, a mammoth Led Zeppelin style rocker with an appropriately frantic guitar solo which makes up for the general lack of testosterone displayed on the rest of the album.  Similarly, opener “K.I.A. (Killed In Action” is actually a pretty good song if the listener can get past its somewhat simple “love is a battlefield” metaphor.  Finally, for those after a bit more of a ballad, “She Holds A Grudge” is a reasonably effective closer intended to show the group’s softer and more melodic side.

In retrospect, it now seems that the wave of retro rock fever that Jet rode into the mainstream on could ultimately be their downfall.  In many ways, Get Born typecast the band not only to a genre, but a point in time; like Wolfmother, many now already remember Jet more as the soundtrack to their lives rather than as a physical part of it.  Perhaps this may in part account for why so many listeners ditched the band so quickly after “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” and “Look What You’ve Done” faded from regular radio play.  Shaka Rock is by no means a perfect album, but it perhaps didn’t deserve the hostile welcome it received upon its initial release.  For those attending the Sunsets Tour, maybe give Jet a second chance; you never know, you might actually like some of their newer material if you let yourself.