JET JAGUAR (Space Anthem) 2LP/CD

Once again Black Widow Records prove their good taste in discovering unknown space rock bands. This time it's the US-band JET JAGUAR and their album 'Space Anthem' will definitely appeal fans of later Hawkwind, Robert Calvert, Alan Davey as well as the early solo-records of Nik Turner. So it's not surprising that they have dedicated the allbum to Nik Turner. 'Space Anthem' contains of fourteen tracks, which have been recorded between 2002 and 2004. Some of the songs are live recordings from their Solar Anthem tour, while others are taken from a studio session. It there wouldn't be the info in the booklet about the live material, I would never come to the conclusion that the songs have been played in front of an audience, because you can't hear them unless you listen very close to them. The music of JET JAGUAR is mostly based on a driving rhythm section, which builds the foundation for a lot of swirling and vibrating sound f/x, while the vocals are not too much in front of the mix. What I really like about this band is the fact, that they never lose the direction within their songs. Bass and drums are giving the songs an immense thrust, while the guitar isn't dominating their music.

JET JAGUAR writing memorable songs, which are a little bit to similar for my taste, especially because most of them are played in the same up-temp pace, but it's better to use an idea more than one time instead of having no ideas at all. It's also very entertaing to hear, that the band is playing their material with a double dose of passion and fun, and they definitely rock! Most of the here included songs are only about four minutes, what's not very typical for a space rock band. In a few moments, this album reminds me to the fantastic record of Captain Lockheed & The Starfighters, a Hawkwind project that was based on the ideas of Robert Calvert who died from a heart attack in 1988. Especially songs like 'The Right Stuff' and 'Ejection', which are the most popular tracks from the Captain Lockheed have an impact on a few songs of  JET JAGUAR. Among the three included bonus tracks, one can listen to an excellent version of 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun', which is from Pink Floyd's second record 'A Saucerful Of Secrets'. The second impeccable cover is 'Archangel's Thunderbird' and the original version is from Amon Düül II acid rock album 'Yeti. Obviously, JET JAGUAR know where to pay their dues.  I suppose, that this US-band are a dependable force in the space rock scene, and maybe 'Space Anthem' will help them to find new fans. They really deserve more attention, because their melange of punky, heavy space rock is extremely good!
(KK)
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