Less Than Jake “American Idle” Album Review
I believe that record reviews are the collective response of the author’s objective opinion and taste on music in general, combined, however, with some undisputed facts. January 20th saw the release of Less Than Jake’s latest single “American Idle” via Fat Wreck Chords. The seven inch features one song off See the Light, the band’s full length of the year 2013, plus one very appropriate b-side as a nice bonus.
TRACKLISTING
American Idle
Late Night Petroleum
While I started delving into punk rock and everything around it in the beginning of the 1990’s, I approached Less Than Jake almost a decade later, immediately looking for their older material to connect the dots. I loved Hello Rockview and Borders and Boundaries, but may be one of their few fans who believe that Anthem is the band’s best effort, even to date. That record is probably their popiest ever but I only skip one or two songs on that LP and still come back to it today. I assume it became obvious to the band that a certain part of their musical personality was lost during the “major label years” and so Less Than Jake returned to their roots with GNV FLA, a record I did not enjoy, and See The Light some years after that.
It is not a coincidence that Fat Wreck Chords picked up See the Light by a band that is already pretty huge and infamous for its live performance. See the Light is a very characteristic record of what defines Less Than Jake. A lot of ska music is evident, the importance of the horn section is vivid and punk rock comes in at exactly the right places. See the Light flows just right and the two songs on the American Idle seven inch are a great testament of that achievement.
The title song is a relatively clean punk rock song that blends Chris’ and Rogers’ voices perfectly together. Not my favorite song on See the Light, but still a great effort.
A band is on the right track when b-sides that didn’t make the actual record are better than some songs on it. Late Night Petroleum is a slower ska song that should have been on See the Light, thus making this seven inch worth acquiring.
American Idle is a good introduction to a super feel good record of the recent past. If you are an older fan of Less than Jake, but have left the years of listening to punk/ska music pass you by, American Idle is a great connection to your past; good music needs to be in your collection. Lastly, if you still love the band and follow their every move, you will know that Less Than Jake are notorious for releasing a ton of material and by getting this seven inch, you will get the best out of two worlds.
About the Author
Erik Ghint Athens, Greece PWV role : Reviewer Erik was born and has always lived in Athens, Greece. Terrible place but good weather. Studied law and played music on the side, now is a part time lawyer and part time punk rocker. Split personalities are his thing. Still listens to punk rock after 20 years, loves discovering new bands and is nostalgic about punk rock of the nineties. Diss him about his reviews @ https://www.facebook.com/bandage.punkrock.3
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