Jet Lag Gemini, “Fire The Cannons” (5.5/10)

Hailing from a legendary music hot-spot, rock band Jet Lag Gemini is among hundreds of bands who travel the local touring circuit of New Jersey and other East Coast states, hoping to make a name which will reach across state lines like so many other Jersey bands before them. With the recent release of their first full-length, Fire the Cannons, under their belt, Jet Lag Gemini, made up of Misha Safanov (vocals/rhythm guitar),Vlad Gheorghiu (lead guitar/vocals), Matt Gheorghiu (bass/vocals), and Dan DiLiberto (drums) it would seem the band is set to go. But, like so many of those fellow bands, Jet Lag Gemini simply doesn’t cut it as a long-lasting or memorable band.

“Run this City” is a decent album-opener with a simple guitar riff which is punched with just enough volume and vigor to jumpstart the listener into a frenzy of anticipation for what is sure to follow. Unfortunately, the lyrics are rather boring and repetitive, garnering a barely sufficient degree of catchiness to make it memorable. Nonetheless, while this song is unable to be a stand-out track with its typical lyrical plot, it is still a worthy musical endeavor.

The following three tracks more or less follow the same formula with slight decreases in degrees of sustainability. Then, like a burst of sunshine on a cloudy day, track five comes along and woos one sweetly with its bittersweet lyrics and upstanding musical arrangement. “Stepping Stone” is the track one hopes will save an album. And how could it not be with its Transcendental chorus, “I’m winter cold in maiden fall;/ a beaten road where no one goes./ And thought I’ve left my post,/ The ones who meant the most./ Wrote you a song, a stepping stone” and it’s great homage to 1980s ballad riffs half-way through the song? As disheartening as it may seem (or perhaps one doesn’t really care at this point), the succeeding six tracks lose flavor quickly becoming more predictable and lackluster as each track settles.

There isn’t any doubt that at certain points, Fire the Cannons has moments, albeit brief moments, of musical composition worthy of a few finger-taps and real gusts of poetic expertise, the album as a whole is unable to have any significant lasting effect on its listeners.

Favorite Track: “Stepping Stone”



Reviewed By: Mallory