Labels: Recodds Records
Review by: Samuel Fowler
The Summer of Pop Punk is a little known, and even less understood
phenomenon. Just like El Nino it is an event which occurs on a semi
frequent basis. It is easy to spot when a outbreak is due to occur, a
bleak economic climate is on the cards, a frozen winter has just
lifted its malignant icy grip, all the birds have long since pissed
off south, and everyone is right sick of endless gloomy news on the
TV.
The balance usually restores with a jarring bang, a glorious summer
then ensues with high incidence of tom-foolery in conjunction with
plenty of sitting in parks, drinking booze, and overlong shorts. As
spring sneaks in, close study of shoots and leaves can give the astute
observer clues to how likely one of these rare events is. I myself
have been monitoring the signs, and The Amber Jets come floating in
like a trade wind, giving further credence to the likelihood of a
resurgence of the Summer of Pop Punk right here in 2010.
Straight up we’re treated to a succulent pop punk hit that slakes the
hunger exactly the way it should. “Swimming Lake Superior” twitches
confidently into life gleefully tipping cheery sunshine into your
ears. You know exactly what you’re getting here, sloppy Lifetime jams
fused what sounds like an uncanny impersonation of Zoli Teglas. In
fact this sounds like a diet version of Ignite, cutting out some of
that bands sugary overindulgence, Ignite Lite maybe? There are some
solid gems on this record. The penultimate track is my favourite, a
driving melodic intro, straight into a poppy number of the highest
calibre. The Amber Jets don’t really lift a finger wrong anywhere,
there is enough in each song to avoid the sameness that seems to
plague most bands of this style, and it’s fresh enough to want to come
back to.
I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised if I said this was the sort of
thing that would be enjoyed by the folk who went to Out Of Spite every
year, and still listen to Blocko. It’s a Saturday morning, with sun
shining through the windows set in azure blue skies. This ‘ere
article, therefore, is a perfect accompaniment for breakfast.