Album review: Jet W. Lee's Who Shall Remain Shameless
On Friday, Feb. 5, Jet W. Lee joins the slew of local artists who have had recent album releases with the (second) release party for their debut LP Who Shall Remain Shameless.
With the band citing dual "citizenship" between Chicago and Champaign, the Mike ‘n' Molly's celebration will be the official C-U release for the ten-track album. The show starts at 10 p.m., and cover is $5. Joined by Chicago's The Safes and C-U locals JigGsaw, Who Shall Remain Shameless will be available for purchase on both vinyl and digital download — an increasingly common combination given the diminishing popularity of CDs.
When listening to an album for the first time, particularly if the artist is unfamiliar to me, I try not to read too heavily into the band's influences and favorite acts for fear of playing a game of "spot the tribute to (insert band name here)" and missing the sound of the artist themselves. And with Who Shall Remain Shameless, I am glad I was able to set preconceived notions aside. While on the one hand, I can entirely grasp the elements of Neil Young inspired, country-tinged rock — harmonica and all — on tracks like "Starry State of Mind" and "When Beauty Met The Blues," I found myself more drawn to a vibe of '80s alternative rock a la Husker Du or The Replacements as in opener "Anticipation High."
With vinyl as the format of choice for the initial release, Who Shall Remain Shameless has a definitive Side A and Side B and plays as such. Whereas Side A (tracks 1-5) is upbeat and quick, filled with repetitive, catchy choruses and memorable guitar parts — save for "Stay Thin," possibly the heaviest track on the album — Side B (tracks 6-10) takes a more mellow route, recalling the previously mentioned elements of classic rock. While the first opening three tracks are by no means throwaways, my personal favorite is what follows in track 4, "New Mexico." Over the course of the four-minute number, vocalist Jesse W. Johnson's drawl calls to mind R.E.M.-era Michael Stipe while the surprisingly infectious harmonies of Johnson and Patrick Mangan beckon to be "shown the way." Along with the instrumental heavy closer "Amelia," the two tracks are standouts on an already positive album.
To put it simply, Jet W. Lee's Who Shall Remain Shameless is a solid work of straightforward rock from the talented duo of Jesse W. Johnson and Patrick Mangan. Though the group has since been joined by bassist Pierre Achille, credit must be paid where it is due to the duo for the recorded output. Who Shall Remain Shameless works because of, not in spite of, a lack of frills and exaggerations, remaining true to a credible format of drum, bass and guitar (and harmonica!) Having yet to have caught the group live, I look forward to hearing the tracks from the group as a three-piece at Mike ‘n' Molly's on Friday night.
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Big Blue will actually be on 6-9, despite what is posted elsewhere. Then, hightail it over to Bentley’s!
Ahh - good point - I will plug them in the appropriate sections.
Yeeee! This sounds so fun! Any word on covers for any/all of these? Maybe SP could spring for punch cards and some discounts if we make it to all, eh?
...and given the lack of smiley emoticons i chose to employ, that reads far more sarcastically than i ever intended (my apologies). i actually find this to be a great article and an interesting discussion, seriously : )
Once it leaves the basement, it is then called what? hmmm…....could it be mainstream? accessible? appealing on a mass-level? POP??? Quickly it will become a fad, over-saturate the media, and piss people off. Then everyone can write articles based on how that shit sucks, too. chickens are…
In general, I think music is much more interesting now than in 1995. I definitely am very glad contemporary music has expanded beyond the four-piece rock lineup that dominated much of the 90’s. The point of the above isn’t so much about a sound or an instrument…
2010 is not 1995. I’m not sure why anyone would expect a music scene to remain stationary as the world of popular music moves around it. Also, today, making popular music with mainstream appeal and being innovative and cutting-edge are usually exact opposites.
bhrama- thanks for the promo. it is true, crane and badger will be playing on friday at mike and mollys w/ the chemicals and tractor kings. we will be playing first. show starts at 10pm. come on out. rock will be had.
Heard there is a new rock band (Crane & Badger-2nd show) playing @ Mike’s this Friday night. Certified rock-styley.
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I will be at Danu this evening. And seeing as tomorrow - St. Pat’s - is my birthday, I will be celebrating with tons of green and fun!
Big Blue will actually be on 6-9, despite what is posted elsewhere. Then, hightail it over to Bentley’s!
Ahh - good point - I will plug them in the appropriate sections.
Yeeee! This sounds so fun! Any word on covers for any/all of these? Maybe SP could spring for punch cards and some discounts if we make it to all, eh?
Ok, just tell me when I can exhale - Just curious, since all the globalists, carbon traders, and pretty much anyone with copious amounts of wealth have weighed in on population reduction in recent years, i was wondering what yer magic number was. Some of the more…
ESPN360!!!!! For those that don’t know, you can watch the ESPNs’ games on your puter.
...and given the lack of smiley emoticons i chose to employ, that reads far more sarcastically than i ever intended (my apologies). i actually find this to be a great article and an interesting discussion, seriously : )
Once it leaves the basement, it is then called what? hmmm…....could it be mainstream? accessible? appealing on a mass-level? POP??? Quickly it will become a fad, over-saturate the media, and piss people off. Then everyone can write articles based on how that shit sucks, too. chickens are…
So John is seeing all comments as being authored by John. I am seeing all comments as authored by me. The first comment was Mysterious McDade who evidently acquired an Optimism Hat and is now seeing how it fits.
No, everyone is me! Muahahaha! I so didn’t make that first comment so I thought maybe someone was trying to get my goat, adding me to the staff. I hope jumping to that conclusion is forgivable. Yeah, uh, I guess I should say that I swear I…
I have reached Nirvana, I guess. Everyone is me.
Something weird is happening.
WTF guys? Does impersonating a user in the comments section run afoul of your commenting policy?
In general, I think music is much more interesting now than in 1995. I definitely am very glad contemporary music has expanded beyond the four-piece rock lineup that dominated much of the 90’s. The point of the above isn’t so much about a sound or an instrument…
2010 is not 1995. I’m not sure why anyone would expect a music scene to remain stationary as the world of popular music moves around it. Also, today, making popular music with mainstream appeal and being innovative and cutting-edge are usually exact opposites.
I didn’t know that the LED was created here. That’s awesome.
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I will be at Danu this evening. And seeing as tomorrow - St. Pat’s - is my birthday, I will be celebrating with tons of green and fun!