Jets To Zurich have just released, their new and first full length album. It is called Atmospheric Sound Cycles, don’t ask me what that means because I haven’t got a clue, but it sounds cool, and I am planning to interview the band later today so I will ask them then.

Atmospheric Sound Cycles is comprised of nine songs, some of which you and I may have heard before, and some of which are new. I think they are new because I have never heard them before, at least I don’t remember hearing them before, and if I have heard them before then this is quite embarrassing.

I definitely remember hearing Buzzkiller before, because I remember the first time I heard it I thought it was called Buskiller, you just don’t forget something like that.

Buzzkiller kicks things off in style after a short instrumental intro called The Trigger. It’s a good song to start because it sets the tone for the rest of the album and is a great example of the Jet’s sound: gritty grungy rock with an infectious rhythm, catchy chorus and a simple and equally catchy riff.

While most of the songs on the album follow this sort of pattern, there are two that don’t, Ghost of Arizona and Longwave. These two songs are laid back and softer than the others, both have a minimal style, consisting of just guitar and vocals. They serve to balance out the album, and I’m pretty sure they are new.

Murmur is a song I wasn’t too sure about at first. The drums, although they fit perfectly with the heavier bits of the songs, seemed too frantic in the quieter parts. However, after a listening a few times I found that the unusual beat started to make sense to me. I guess that’s why I write about music rather than actually writing music myself, and I always find it better not to criticise before I fully understand.

I think that my favourite song on the album is No Alternative, mainly because it has this immense momentum that powers through the song. It starts of in a slow, soft and careful way with some strings playing in the background, but then it changes, the drums kick in and it turns into a completely different animal. The Punchy drums carry the song forward with an unstoppable force, while yet another catchy guitar riff keeps you hooked to the stereo.

I’ve got to say that Jet’s To Zurich have put together a pretty damn good record, and although it’s not perfect, the things that are great about it cancel out any noticeable imperfections. One thing that it does show is the incredible ability they have to write songs that are catchy without them turning into pop songs.

You can listen to and buy the album here: http://jetstozurich.bandcamp.com or click the link below to go to the bands MySpace page.

www.myspace.com/jetstozurich