In 2002, Australia had a huge explosion with music, mainly because of 2 bands that were new on the scene, The Vines, and Jet. That year, The Vines released their first album, “Highly Evolved”, and instantly became a hit. The other Australian born band that became big was Jet. Even though they did not release their first album until 2003, Jet released an EP that year, entitled “Dirty Sweet EP”. Dirty Sweet had four songs on it, Take It Or Leave It, Cold Hard Bitch, Move On, and Rollover DJ. At first, Jet only made 1000 copies of the EP, but demand was so high, that they had to make more. About a year later, Jet released their debut album, “Get Born”. “Get Born” had a whole mix of things on it, from mellow songs, to upbeat and in your face tunes at the same time. While it became immensely popular throughout the world, critics tore it apart, saying that Jet ripped off lyrics and parts of songs from huge bands, such as The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. After three years of being on the road promoting “Get Born” and playing countless gigs with bands such as The Vines and Oasis, Jet has released their new album, “Shine On”. One thing I have noticed while listening to “Shine On” is that the songs are very catchy, and also a little more developed than those on “Get Born”. It mimics the garage sound that “Get Born” has, but at the same time has a more touching feel to it.
Jet is-
Nic Cester- Vocals, Guitar
Cameron Muncey- Guitar, Vocals
Mark Wilson- Bass
Chris Cester- Drums
“Shine On” starts with a short song that in my opinion is filler, called L’espirit D’escalier. All they say is “All you have to do.” while strumming a few chords. The next song, Holiday, sounds a lot like the garage style that Jet familiarized with us on “Get Born”. While the song is repetitive in that it has the same chord progressions, the song has a pretty good guitar part and an alright solo in the middle, as well as a solid drum part that definitely keeps the band together. Holiday isn’t the strongest Jet song, because it lacks in some areas. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is is the next song on the album, as well as the only single released off “Shine On”. It starts with a smooth guitar part. The vocals are odd, because Nic is singing really high. While the beginning of the song is soft, the chorus comes in loud and clear, with Nic doing his regular screaming, as the percussion part sticks out. This pattern continues until the end of the song. If there is one real rocking tune on this album that will stick out to you, it’s going to be Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.
After the first three fast paced songs on the album, it slows down when Bringing It On Back comes in. Bring It On Back isn’t even really soft or sad, it’s just slower than the other three. It starts with a fast keyboard part. After Nic comes in and sings s few verses, the drums come in and slow it down, as Nick sings a few more verses until the chorus comes, where it gets loud. While Bring It On Back is a pretty good song, it reminds me of a song by Pink Floyd: Eclipse. Not because of the tune, but because of the lyrics. “All that you do, all that you have, all that you say will you take it all back, all that you see is more than you have.” Beside the lyrical factor, the song is driven by smooth lyrics, and a mature guitar part. The bass part sticks out to me, because it fills in the spots where something is lacking. Bring It On Back may seem non original, but it definitely shows the ever growing mature side of Jet. That’s All Lies follows. It’s got a great beat to it, and its one of those fun, fast paced songs to listen to.
Kings Horses is another slower song. The heartfelt lyrics, and the slick piano part make this song one of the most mysterious but at the same time beautiful songs on the album. But the song that has most meaning on this album is definitely the title track to the album, Shine On. The song was written about Nic and Chris’s dad, who lost his battle to cancer. "It was inevitable I would write a song that dealt with all of that, but it was almost too big a subject for me to handle," Nic says. "Then I got a phone call from my mum saying everyone was ***ed so I wrote the song through Dad's eyes, what he would say to help everyone through. We recorded it in one take, but it was ***ing emotional, very heavy.” The song starts with a piano part, while Nic follows in. The bass soon joins in, and drives the song for awhile. You can defintely tell that the vocals are coming deep down inside from Nic, amost sounding like a cry for his father. The chorus is the most electic part of the song, where backup singers come in and join Nic. The lyrics at the chorus echo very strong: “When the days aren’t what they seem, don’t feel the cold wind or rain, everything will be ok, we will meet again one day, I will shine on for everyone, shine on for everyone.” The song goes on for a few more minutes until it reaches a sudden halt.
Come On Come On is a change from the solemn Shine On, as it has a fun feel to it. Even though it’s not as loud as Jet can get, the drums move the song along, and the guitar part is melodically fitting. Come On Come On is another example of how well Jet has developed since they’re last album. Stand Up is a little different than the other songs on the album, because it has a funk feel to it. The mix of the guitar and drums go perfectly together, as Nic’s vocals are smooth and clean. Rip It Up almost has a grungy sound to it. The guitar part is literally ripping it up as it’s got effects to the max. The bass part drives the song, giving the song a nice punch, as Chris takes care of the rest on drums. Rip It Up is one of the best on the album. Skin and Bones is next. It’s got a few nice guitar riffs, and a neat little keyboard part, but aside from that, it doesn’t have much else. Shiny Magazine is one of my least favorite on the album. For starters, Nic’s vocals drone on and on, and get annoying after awhile, and the guitar and bass just don’t go together. Shiny Magazine is just out of place on Shine On. Eleanor is another slower song. It starts with somebody whistling. An acoustic guitar comes in, while Nic and Cameron are singing. The vocals grow louder as the song goes on. After awhile, a piano joins the mix. Eleanor is a nice break from the mostly fast paced songs on this album.
All You Have To Do is the last song on the album. All You Have to do starts just like the first song on the album, but goes on after the intro. It’s probably the most experimental song on the album, with the bass coming in and out, and the key changing every once in awhile. The guitar part comes in every now and then, and it has a nice solo towards the end of the song. The guys sing the lyrics all you have to do until the very end of the song, where an acoustic guitar comes in and strums a few chords until it stops, thus ending All You Have To Do, as well as “Shine On”.
Overall, “Shine On” is a good album. It’s not epic or anything, because it lacks in some areas, but it is better than “Get Born”. (or in my opinion it is) It’s more original, and the songs on “Shine On” are more complexed than those on “Get Born”. Even if you didn’t like “Get Born” or if you have a strong grudge against Jet, give “Shine On” a chance. It really is a big improvement compared to “Get Born”. Shine On shows the growth of Jet, as well shows the more mature musical side the band has gained since 2003.
3.5-5
Recommended Tracks
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Shine On
Rip It Up
Eleanor
