The soaring melodies and crisp earthy tones on No Nations anchor the breathy vocal interplay of the husband and wife duo of Adam Kittredge and Antonia Freybe-Smith. Guitarist Piers Henwood (a cousin of Kittredge), bassist Jocelyn Greenwood and drummer Luke Renshaw handily perform both the subtle and the eloquent on No Nations. Produced by Neil Osborne of 54*40, mixed by Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris) and mastered by Greg Calbi (Talking Heads, Interpol, Modest Mouse), the atmosphere is layered with modern rock textures. Songs such as “I Should Be Born” and “Heading For Nowhere” carry the torch and continue to populate playlists across the nation including tastemaker stations such as KCRW in Los Angeles and WXPN in Philadelphia.
A broad consciousness navigates the artistry of Jets Overhead musically and visually. Known for their scenery driven videos, the band took an opportunity on a recent tour in China to shoot a clip for the title track. Directed by Caleb Beyers and shot in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, the visuals of the Far East provide a fitting compliment to the lyrical imagery of No Nations which can be seen at www.jetsoverhead.com and at video sharing outlets such as Vimeo.
No Nations is the follow-up to Jet Overhead’s acclaimed debut, Bridges, released in 2006, which earned the band a nomination for “New Group of the Year” at the 2007 JUNO Awards (Canada’s Grammy equivalent). It was with Bridges that Jets Overhead instituted a voluntary online purchase model (later used by Radiohead) whereby fans could download the entire record and choose the amount, if any, they would pay.
With the new album, the band took a slightly different approach and released a single song, the title track, free-of-charge at www.jetsoverhead.com under a Creative Commons license. The license permits fans to use the music for any non-commercial purpose – remixing, web playlists, home videos, etc. This strategy echoes their collective vision of putting creative ideas into the air and letting them take their own flight.
On the tour front, Jets Overhead kicked off a series of shows to promote the new album at Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee, and then showcased their hypnotic interplay in a packed, intimate room at the Hotel Caf in L.A. An extensive fall tour of North America is being planned. Previously, the group has toured with Tegan & Sara, The Dandy Warhols, The Stills and Broken Social Scene.
All Music.com – “No Nations, is a pleasant, gently trippy throwback to the '90s shoegaze scene filled with waves of guitars, dreamily hazy vocals, and sweetly sung melodies.”
CitizenDick.org - “No Nations has a solid balance of fist pumping and navel gazing… an album that is worth your attention.”
Examiner.com – “…ambient rock that effortlessly floats from the speakers.”
FazerMagazine.com – “…expect to be impressed with No Nations – an album that is getting better and better the more I play it.”
SpectrumCulture.com – “Heading for Nowhere” is full of coma-inducing hooks and dreamtime lyrics.”
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