Review Summary: You're one of them now.
Business is a paradoxically lovable EP. Musically speaking there is little of interest here. These six songs are structured more or less identically. Tempo changes are rare, a dissonant chord is nigh impossible to find, and the solos seldom leave the pentatonic scale. Such, I suppose, is just the nature of Jet Lag Gemini’s classic rock infused power-pop. And fortunately, these simplicities are not defects but rather make the disc’s triumphs shine all the more brightly – nothing gets in the way of JLG’s energy and youth. This EP can only described as contagious: as they say themselves on “Geared for Action”, “You’re one of us now.”
The EP kicks off with a spirited and straightforward anthem in “Don’t Leave Me Hanging”. This medium tempo’d and relatively short track introduces us to vocalist Misha’s preferred style - that is, nothing too flashy and nothing too whiny. The few instances of harmonies and background vocals reveal the band’s polish and attention to detail. The song nicely approximates what’s to come with the rest of the album: A clever riff here, catchy chorus there, short yet effective solo somewhere along the way, and a moment or two of deeper emotion.
The standout track, “From Lip to Lip,” stands at Business’ median. It opens with an infectious lick and bouncy chord progression that just begs you to well, bounce. The verse blends the band’s best elements into a single musical phrase, with vocal harmonies operating above some carefree riffing from guitarist Vlad. The chorus is fun as expected, my favorite part being a slight window towards the end of the refrain where the guitar momentarily comes through alone.
“Happy Earth Day”, the penultimate song, marks another highlight. The recipe is the same, but who can fault a band for producing yet another set of melodies that will end up stuck in your head for years? In fact, the songs where JLG change their formula tend to be their weakest. I intend this less as an insult and more of an applause of their achievements within their niche. When they reach outside of that niche, they end up in boring and over-charted territory. So I tip my hat to JLG for a lively yet subtle effort.
