Buzz The Tower Maverick

I grew up with a generation still burned from the Cold War era and believed in internal superiority. I wanted to be Chuck Sheen in Red Dawn, and I do ‘blame Canada’ with their ‘flappy jaws and beady eyes’. But damn-it if they don’t produce some of the best indie music in this hemisphere lately. And local newcomers Jets Overhead! efforts in their debut Bridges is an extreme pleasure and ode to alt-jam from start to finish.

Bridges is flat out rock; no spit shine or studio gloss. From the opening track, This Way, which extends almost six minutes of guitar control, to No More Nothing final bow of reflection, Jets takes you on a tour of talent. The banjo-like dotted Breaking To Touch highlights the bands soft side that never seems trite - a curse that plagues many great rock groups these days who can’t seem to find a balance between the two sounds. Seems So Far and Shadow Knows exhibit their ability to carry a song on lyrics, resonance and emotion without ever sounding strained. Lead vocals and guitar Adam Kittredge has an almost haunting voice that is only complimented by the soothing backup of bassist Jocelyn Greenwood on White Out, Killing Time, et al.

The band claim Pink Floyd and Doves as their influences but I would venture to strike both of these, as they remind me nothing of the Doves (and in most parts thankfully) and have a sound that compliments their style outside of Floyd to make all their own. The album does lack trust. Kittredge almost seems to hold back in his attempts to fully extend the bridges, ironically, and everything slows down to a melancholy crawl - almost too extensive at times. That said, it is still a great downhearted sound, but you can see what they are capable and want more. In the end, though, Bridges will be hard to top. It is a grand piece of work from a band that is still in their infancy.

Sean Kendall