And now, back to ska
Less Than Jake is back! No one ever believes me when I emphatically claim that ska is not dead, but I was right! To borrow a phrase from their promoter, this band’s “ longevity and level of popularity are unassailable.” From jamming to their classis tune “The Science of Selling Yourself Short” to the newest songs off this album, Less Than Jake has proven themselves to be a driver in today’s ska-punk scene (it exists, I promise). The band has grown up with their fans. Instead of their brooding teenage angst of the past, they bring the daunting what-am-I-doing-with-my-life dilemma of all 20 somethings. This feeling is really brought to life in “John the Baptist Bones” (Track 7) while sticking to an upbeat brass sound characteristic of ska. Sad subject matter, happy music, just one of the many things that makes ska so great. “American Idle” (Track 8) is perfectly titled, as they deal with the guilt of being successful and being the ones who got away from the doldrum suburban life of their hometown.
While their other musical endeavors have been more on the pop-punk side (I’m looking at you Anthem), See the Light is a nice return to their influences. Guarantee you won’t see anything like this in the rotation stacks for a while, so might as well give this some air time and help revive a scene that is so often regarded as unimportant. Join the army and prove people wrong. I wanna hear some ska on these radio waves people!
RIYL: Mighty Mighty Bosstones, New Found Glory, Five Iron Frenzy, NOFX
REC: #10 (2Tone deliciousness!), #2, #6, #7, #13 (punk deliciousness!)
Reviewed by Pop-Punk Apologist on 11/15/13