Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 13/03/06
Label: 679 Recordings

Hey, remember The Coral? What the hell happened to those guys? Oh yeah: they made a great debut album that fused dreamy pop classicism with prog-rock experimentalism, then followed it up too quickly with some half-baked, self-indulgent rubbish that made everyone wake up and realise it wasn't 1973 any more. And now? Well, nobody cares now.

At first glance, Mystery Jets have much in common with the impish Liverpudlians that stole so many hearts back in '02. Wildly out of step with their peers - in this case, the neo-Britpoppers and laddish scuzz-rockers clogging up charts and award ceremonies - Mystery Jets' songs tend to be more reminiscent of a sea shanty or dusty folk standard than of anything by Blur or Gang Of Four. Unbound by the vagaries of fashion, they've crafted a mythical world centred around their quirky homeplace (in this case: Eel Pie Island, on the Thames); and they seem on a mission to compress the weirdest and most wonderful elements of guitar music's pre-punk history into accessible odd-pop anthems. So: The Coral Ver 2.0, right?

Well, up to a point, but a few things set the Jets apart. To repeat the most oft-repeated fact about this band, guitarist Henry Harrison is singer Blaine Harrison's dad, which suggests they're more committed to this anti-fashion thing than any rock'n'roll band in history. They also seem less prone to the muso tendencies that ultimately led to The Coral playing the most boring festival sets of 2005, preferring to build their songs around endlessly-repeated mantras (examples: "You can't fool me Dennis"; "Oh Agnes"; "Zootime! Zootime!") that should by rights be really annoying but are somehow rousing instead.

"Making Dens" is an immensely graceful, charming record that does a flawless job of capturing the air of good-natured abandon that defines the Jets' live shows (many friends were made on their recent jaunt supporting Arctic Monkeys). With the band's default mode set to "rollicking", Harrison's warm vocals define the songs' character, though a rather dazzling performance from bassist Kai at times threatens some show-stealing.

Drawbacks? Well, eclectic their musical tastes may be, but Mystery Jets are as retro as public-spiritedness or a three-day week. You suspect that, deep down, they'd love to make a record using only analogue equipment; they might even, like The La's, try to source some original '60s dust for the amps. But the most troubling suspicion of all? Well, when a band consumed with revulsion for the music of their day wants nonetheless to reshape its sound, what typically happens? That's right: they embrace musicianship. Who needs that?

"Making Dens" is a fine record. But might we fans soon be forced to face a fact - that it ain't 1973 any more?

    by Niall O'Keeffe