“Like The Misfits playing Beach Boys covers” Album Review: Jetplane Landing - Once Like A Spark

Continuing from where their first album, Zero For Conduct left off, Once Like A Spark sees Jetplane Landing successfully expanding on all aspects of their song writing. Using much heavier production and a more intense sound, the pop sensibilities of the melodies sparkle through - the contrast is great.

From the chiming dissonance of offbeat harmonics in the opener ‘The Violence’ a wall of sound is instantly built to assault the listener, before it breaks into a lavish pop song that burns lithium-blue.

The album is filled with fervent political views and expresses disillusionment with the current system. ‘I Opt Out’ makes this perfectly clear as frantic fuzz guitar riffs underline the lyrics:

"I opt out, They dare to call this progress… keeping order."

Jetplane Landing have mastered their craft, their angular rock twists, turns and bends. In a musical climate filled with simple, dumb guitar bands, Jetplane Landing refuse to dumb their music down, their music is filled with intelligent social commentary and personal emotions, ‘Effect A Change’, ‘The Strength Of Our Conviction’ and contender for single of the year ‘Calculate The Risk’, are reminiscent of Minor Threat and I’m Being Good - restless to the point of distraction, the frantic math-rock riffs create intensity and give dimension to the songs, it’s guitar music you can lose yourself in, a feat not achieved since the demise of At The Drive-In.

Then they turn this anger on it’s head, ‘Brave Gravity’ and ‘Conventional Thought’ is pure pop, like The Misfits playing Beach Boys covers, the songs are filled with a sense of longing and dismay. Whilst ‘Writing The Ways Down’ is one of the best songs you’ll hear this year, the verse sounding like The Promise Ring waltzing with The Van Pelt, before a wall of feedback turns the song into a Fugazi-esque hard-core song that still maintains a great melody, and doesn’t resort into mindless screaming.

For people fearing DIY punk is dying, Jetplane Landing are a post hard-core guitar band that address real issues without being pretentious about it, they are a band you can’t afford to ignore. For lovers of both heavy guitar music and incredible pop, Jetplane Landing should already be your favourite band.

© Do Something Pretty 2003