The Jet Age – Jukebox Memoir

The Jet Age
Jukebox Memoir
Sonic Boomerang Records
★★★★

Jukebox Memoir is a silent victory. The album may not set of the rock and roll Richter scale, but it does showcase some serious jams.

As the title suggests, the album is a homage to the music of the past and what the band was brought up to believe in. What makes this album special is that you tour the gamut of style without succumbing strictly to that style. This is not a medley, these are honest songs by a band who—no matter what genre they tackle—still invoke a strong sense of identity.

“I Can’t Turn Around” starts out with modesty but turns into a rock jam of fantastic proportions. The guitars shoot chords into infinity and the rhythms crash into our minds like 20 years of high tide.

“Come Lie Down” is a walk into Shoegaze dimensions as distortion swirls around the song. The only deception is the vocals as they don’t really conform to the sound unless you consider a band like The Mighty Lemon Drops or The Ocean Blue to be Shoegaze, which I don’t.

“Horizon Burns” is a real scorcher; an alternative rock escapade that makes you want to pull out your air guitar and let it burn. Even a song like “Booty,” which incorporates a soft touch of funk turns into a rock and roll rager. When this band turns it up, they turn it up!

You end up ignoring the homages after a while and spend more time focusing on the band. To me, that’s a good thing because what they have accomplished here is escape trying to act like a cover band even if they all are originals. Bravo!