“A smile is often all we need to fall in love” Album Review: Jetplane Landing - Zero For Conduct

Jetplane Landing are here to save you the effort making compilation tapes of all your favourite American bands. Like Seafood before them, the jetplanes have spent their lives picking out the best bits of their favourite records, jumbling them together and writing a bunch of new songs with the pieces and 'Zero for Conduct' is a veritable feast of recycled alt.rock delights.

Getting into the spirit of the homemade tape, these three cheery Irish boys do their Pavement impression on dissonant opener 'Tiny Bombs', and borrow the mellow side of Jimmy Eat World on 'The Last Thing I Should Do'. The bitter dear John letter of 'What The Argument Has Changed' ("I could make a list of all my regrets you'd be at the top of every page highlighted in red") is underpinned by jagged Braid-styled guitars. Elsewhere, the jetplanes fulfil their contractual emo obligation by sounding like The Van Pelt as the driven, angular riffs burst in on 'This Is Not Revolution Rock'.

While there is very little about 'Zero for Conduct' that could be described as revolutionary, the jetplanes carry it off perfectly. 'Zero for Conduct' is a triumph of familiar sounds that bring an instant smile to your face. And as we're all broken-hearted and sensitive emo kids nowadays, a smile is often all we need to fall in love.

© Playlouder 2002