Album Review: Less Than Jake - Greetings From Less Than Jake‏

Title-holders of the ska-punk scene, Less Than Jake, failing to be thwarted by the likes of passing genres that have tried to step in their way over the years such as; Nu-Metal, Emo, Crabcore and Screamo. Over their 19 year stay in the genre, they have released an accumilative 286 other releases with no plans to retire anytime soon.

'Can't Yell Any Louder' doesn't waste anytime introducing the EP itself and gives off a familiar upbeat vibe reminiscent of earlier albums such as the cult favourite 'Hello Rockview' whilst 'Goodbye Mr. Personality' contrasts this with a slightly slower tempo and a much more laid back atmosphere, the vibe given off is still the same upbeat Less Than Jake we all know and love with lyrics that completely countradict the music itself, Vinie's vocals are still unchanged, even with 19 years of being in a band behind him, you can still hear the inner-teenage angst in his voice when he sings "When I opened up my eyes, I watched all my problems divide and multiply". They even got in a bit of cowbell for a nice little touch.

Taking a moment to catch their breath on their EP, 'Oldest Trick in the Book' questions the end of the world and where the band will be when that time comes around, with hopes to leave a legacy behind them. 'Life Led Out Loud' is a complete stranger amongst the rest of the bands back catalogue, opening up with a muddy guitar and then kicking in with an extremely fast paced, punky verse before being blended in the chorus with the pop aesthetic of most Less Than Jake songs, soon to be everyones live favourite and the sucessor to 'Plastic Cup Politics', the song even brings out the all-familiar breakdown found in most pop-punk songs.

Despite their unchanging sound, Less Than Jake continually bring something new to the table with each release, 'Greeting's From...' isn't anything new but after the much overlooked 'GNV FLA' and 2006's 'In with the Out Crowd', 'Greetings From...' showcases a lot of promise for new material from a band who, theoretically, could be retiring.

4/5

Greeting From Less Than Jake by Less Than Jake is available now on Sleep It Off Records.

Official Website
Less Than Jake on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Purevolume.

George Gadd