In my experience, Jet have been a band used as staple on any students union club night, guaranteed to get punters up and dancing to their jangling punk anthems. This new venture, the title track of their second LP, sees a break from such preconception. Unfortunately, it creates nothing like the same appeal.
Shine On is the safest, most formulaic pop-rock ballad to have appeared this side of the millenium. By no means an unpleasant listen, there remains an unwavering predictability, and an inextricable likeness to Oasis' Live Forever throughout. The vocals of Nic Cester sound genuinely heartfelt, but this does not make lyrics such as "Everything will be OK, we will meet again one day. I will shine on for everyone" any less jarring. There is even the assistance of gospel singers to help lift the chorus. Enough to be calling for deliverance yourself.
The single is, sadly, dedicated to the memory of a loved one who is now lost to the band. Heartwarming it may be to write a song with this intention, but Dave Grohl was going through the same emotions when he created My Hero. As difficult as this may be to grasp, not all obituaries need to sound like Tears In Heaven. Hopefuly this rather languid affair does not signal the end of Jet's dynamic edge, this really would leave our student bars in a tight spot.
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