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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Jet Motor Crash

Personal Space

Review by Gary Hill

The second album from California band Jet Motor Crash, this one is solid, but could be better. The band creates a blend of music that is all hard alternative rock, but seems to lean heavily on metal and punk. Although they touch occasionally on emo, they are certainly not an emo band, and that's refreshing. The group has developed a sound that is all theirs. The only problem is that thus far it's a little limiting and the disc tends to drag a bit due to a kind of monotony from song to song. That said, there are some cuts that work better than others here, and nothing is un-listenable. They even do a nice cover of Loverboy's "Working For the Weekend" that I would say is better than the original. If you like your rock hard and just a little raw with a pop sensibility, these guys should be on your play list. Just don't expect the world to change between songs.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2005 Year Book Volume 3 at https://garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2005..

Track by Track Review
Made It
Frantic metal tinged with alternative rock and old school punk, this is fast and strong. It makes for a great album opener.
Generation Why?
In terms of style, this doesn't move much from the first cut, but it does get heavier later. It includes some killer guitar sounds and also has one mellow drop back. This one is a smoker.
Nothing Left
This is closer to the alternative rock genre with some old school punk sounds. This one is a lot more pop rock oriented than the previous cuts, and a nice change of pace. This leans closer to emo than the previous cuts, but is more alternative rock than emo.
I Don't Belong
This starts off rather emo, but comes across overall closer to a metal tinged alternative rock along the lines of Collective Soul. This is frantic and quite cool.
Madison
A slower paced number at first, this starts with drums then acoustic guitar joins to create a ballad mode in a solid alternative rock vein. They shift it up to a more frantic crunch later, then alternate between the two sounds. This has a proggy section later that's quite cool. It ends in mellow acoustic territory.
1986
This is superfast and very epic metal. It is a great change of pace.
Working For the Weekend
Yes, this is a cover of the Loverboy hit, and these guys do a modern alternative rock take that really works well. They manage to breathe new life into this old chestnut. They do a nice change up later with a cool staccato section.
Still
This straight-ahead alternative rocker shows off both punk and metal influences.
Peace of Mind
While this alternates between harder and more mellow the formula is getting a little old by this point. Still, the aggressive ending is cool.
Falls Apart
While not wandering far, this one is stronger than some of the other material, and at times more aggressive and angry.
Powder Keg
This one is more punky than some of the others songs on show, but only so strong.
 
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