B Is For B-Side,
Less Than JakeLess Than Jake is one of those bands that are pretty fucking prolific – there have been albums aplenty, split CDs, singles, compilations… you name it, LTJ have done it – and fair play to them. This latest release, ‘B Is For B-Sides’, is entirely made up of tracks that didn’t make their ‘Anthem’ record, which was good but not great. ‘B…’ carries on this trait; it’s a record that has good songs but none of them really stand out. It’s easy to see why they didn’t make the cut.
That’s not to say this record is in any way bad, because to be honest it’s the perfect stop-gap between ‘Anthem’ and the next record. Chris and Roger are on top form throughout, and while the songs aren’t LTJs best, they are performed up to the usual standards. The tracks on offer here aren’t too polished either, thank goodness, so the shine that dominated ‘Anthem’ is avoided. It means that ‘Portrait Of A Cigarette Smoker At 19’ and ‘Bridge and Tunnel Authority’ are catchy, memorable tracks. It’s the LTJ that we’ve come to know and love; the Roger vocals, the gentle ska guitars and Vinnie’s drums, which incidentally appear low in the mix on this record.
My favourite Less Than Jake efforts are the ones that have a bit of pace behind them – and ‘B…’ doesn’t disappoint on that note. ‘A.S.A.O.K’ is bloody fantastic, with horns a-blazing and the drums rattling out. Chris’ vocals are aggressive and the harmonies are superb. ‘Jay Frenzal’ is more of the same, while ‘Sobriety Is A Serious Business And Business Ain’t So Good’ is marginally better. Maybe it’s just my personal taste, but the best songs are when LTJ push the pedal to the metal. The closing ‘The National Anthem’ is solid too – it just leaves the other four or five songs as filler tracks which lets things down a bit.
‘B Is For B-Sides’ is a very good stop-gap release, but it’s not vintage Less Than Jake. It’s an enjoyable record, arguably as good as ‘Anthem’, if a little different. It loses marks for having good songs that don’t become great – whereas in the past LTJ have written anthem after anthem, this record doesn’t really have many, if any, at all. Still, as a pre-cursor to the next full-length, this is still worthy of your time.
www.lessthanjake.com
Warner
Paul
