Backlash Cop / White Music / Dizzy Gillespie For President / Lungs Of Punk / Why Do They Never Play Les Savy Fav On The Radio? / The Breaks (Part 1) / The Breaks (Part 2) / Jamerson Used The Claw / Sam Cooke / Climbing Up The Face Of Miles Davis / Us And The Ringside Stars / Hendrix Sur La Lune / Reprise / Song For Sonia Sanchez

SMALLTOWN AMERICA

Returning with their first new material since 2003's ONCE LIKE A SPARK long player, Northern Irish indie rockers Jetplane Landing are back with new album BACKLASH COP.

Seemingly having spent their time honing some dubious nu-metal chops, BACKLASH COP is a disappointingly knuckleheaded affair, a noisy collision of post hardcore guitar shapes, unconvincing rap and only the briefest glimmer of the bands previously impressive form.  Opener and title track BACKLASH COP is the first indication of this decline in standards, a messy mash up between the House Of Pain, Helmet, Limp Bizkit and Fugazi; Andrew Ferris singing in a dodgy Irish/faux American rap style that proves a faintly embarrassing turn of events.  The admittedly more impressive DIZZY GILLESPIE FOR PRESIDENT points towards better things, a sunny side up slice of melodic post-hardcore that settles for a sound bizarrely somewhere between Big Audio Dynamite and Rival Schools, a sound that finds Jetplane Landing settling into a groove that you wish they could find more often.  LUNGS OF PUNK and THE BREAKS (PART 2) sees the four piece heading back into dull nu-metal territory, and its here that Jetplane Landing sound at their most forced, stilted and just plain boring; a real shame, when on occasion they have the songs and talent to reach truly impressive heights.  A song like JAMERSON USED THE CLAW or THE BREAKS (PART 1) for example, moments where they excel; spidery guitar lines, frenetic drum patterns and sky rocketing melodies coming together to produce songs that leave you dizzy with all the ideas and potential.

BACKLASH COP is a record though, that ultimately feels way too messy and unfocused to succeed, the odd moments of genuine brilliance trampled by dull by-the-numbers rock/rap nonsense.  Sure, the likes of CLIMBING UP THE FACE OF MILES DAVIS may point towards a band who truly understand the words eclectic and genre defying, but whilst they continue to churn out sub Limp Bizkit material alongside this, Jetplane Landing unfortunately remain a frustrating and unsatisfying experience.

BIOGRAPHY

Jetplane Landing is a four piece band from Derry (Northern Ireland) and London (England). They comprise Andrew Ferris (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Jamie Burchell (Bass/Vocals), Cahir O’Doherty (Guitar/Vocals) and Raife Burchell (Drums). Jamie and Raife are brothers. Their musical influences include - At the Drive-In (the band's name comes from an observation that At the Drive-In sounded like a jet plane landing, made by a band friend) Helmet, Soundgarden, Blues Explosion, Fugazi, Shellac, Big Black, Pavement, Rage Against the Machine, AC/DC, Robbie Robertson, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello

Conceived in 1999 by Burchell and Ferris following the break-up of Northern Ireland post-grunge Cuckoo (Geffen Records 1996-[999), the song writing partnership grew quickly and productively. The debut album Zero For Conduct (Smalltown America 2001) is a mixture of singer songwriter standards and post-hardcore exploration. A flurry of media attention in the UK saw the band accelerated to the fore-front of a burgeoning guitar rock scene and the record spawned the minor indie hit This Is Not Revolution Rock.

Larger tours required the addition of second guitarist and additional songwriter Cahir (see also Fighting With Wire/Clearshot) and the band retired to their home studio to make second record Once Like A Spark (Smalltown America 2003) again, critically well received the band continued an extensive touring schedule completing infamously a 60 date promotional tour of the UK in as many days. The second record reflects more of a rock template and calls forth more immediate comparisons with Rage Against the Machine, Fugazi and Jimmy Eat World. It brought the band wider appeal and a more consolidated fan-base.

Post touring in 2004, the band took some time off before setting about writing their third record, broken only by a number of time acoustic/semi-acoustic in store/club-night solo nights played by Andy.

LINE UP

Jamie Burchell - Bass/Vocals 

Raife Burchell - Drums 

Andrew Ferris - Guitar/Vocals 

Cahir O'Doherty - Guitar/Vocals

DISCOGRAPHY

ZERO FOR CONDUCT (2001)

Tiny Bombs

This Is Not Revolution Rock

Underground Queen

Summer Ends

End Of The Night

What The Argument Has Changed

The Boy You Love To Hate

The Last Thing I Should Do

Interstate Five

Atoms Dream In Technicolour

A Miracle Of Science

ONCE LIKE A SPARK (2003)

The Violence

Brave Gravity

I Opt Out

Calculate The Risk

Do It...Now!

Conventional Thought

Effect A Change

Tethered By All That We Know

The Strength Of Our Conviction

Writing The Ways Down

There Is No Real Courage Unless There Is Real Danger

BACKLASH COP (Smalltown America>2007)

Backlash Cop 

White Music 

Dizzy Gillespie For President 

Lungs Of Punk 

Why Do They Never Play Les Savy Fav On The Radio? 

The Breaks (Part 1) 

The Breaks (Part 2) 

Jamerson Used The Claw 

Sam Cooke

Climbing Up The Face Of Miles Davis 

Us And The Ringside Stars 

Hendrix Sur La Lune 

Reprise 

Song For Sonia Sanchez

LINKS

Jetplane Landing>www.jetplanelanding.com

FURTHER LISTENING

Rival Schools

Jets To Brazil

18 Wheele