Jetsex

Paris by Night (2005)

Thom

Jetsex's MySpace says they sound like having an orgasm with your stepmother on top of the Eiffel tower, so if you have been lucky enough to experience that then you can stop reading now. If like me, however, you haven't had the fortune of your birth parents breaking up to experience such a state of nirvana then carry on reading.

Jetsex are five insane crazy-ass punk rockers from Paris, France. A few years prior to the release of this album, the band were plagued by the exit of guitarist Jeep (French names these days are rather unusual) several months after their first release (a 7" split with Murphy's Law). As a replacement came Phil from the Burning Heads (off Epitaph's great roster in the Punk-O-Rama III era, 1998) who insisted (according to the band's label bio) they "start writing about things that really matter 'like the Tour de France or cats…'." To be honest though, this sounds like some guys who like to party, and from videos and reviews of live shows, they sure do; album-wise, they pull it off pretty well too. This is the album the Punk-O-Rama III-era kids will love: fast, loud and abrasive straight-up punk rock, combining Pennywise (Full Circle era) with a Zeke-esque in your face and thrash-punk rock style.

Jetsex have been one of the most successful European bands domestically in France that have preserved their DIY ideals since the demise of Euro-punk in the worldwide punk spectrum and the tracks promptly answer why in just under half an hour. The music rarely breaks -- it can explode into solos at any point yet stays well within the boundaries of its style; that's the main reason for a slight lack of interest in the second half of the album, though Jetsex aren't here to create a new style or anything -- just play fast and fun. If the date was several years earlier than it was now this would be a common band to read about on punk sites -- perfect for keeping any nostalgist happily occupied for a while and either way is well worth a spot in any punk rocker's music collection.