You know what…we get it. Ska sucks. It’s never been particularly cool, it’s associated with some terrible fashion trends, and there were far too many bands doing it poorly. However replace the word ska with any other genre of music and the same pretty much applies. Music is rife with elitism, gimmicks and petty attitudes and no more so than with ska-punk.
‘Less Than Jake? Yeah I know them, those lame dudes from the 90’s that play with horns, wear awful clothes and have some guy dancing on stage with them? New album? No thanks, ska sucks.’
What sucks more is the attitude to bands such as Less Than Jake, who are back with their ninth studio album in the last fifteen years. So often passed over for the latest buzz genre yet have such a great back catalogue. ‘See The Light’ will only add to that. It’s good fun, packs a huge punch and is devoid of all gimmicks. Look at tracks such as ‘Good Enough’ and ‘Jump’ for exactly that. These are solid pop-rock tracks with a catchy chorus and an easy to follow structure. Okay so there is a smattering of trombone and saxophone here, evident on ‘Do The Math’, but this adds great depth to the music and work far better than a second guitar would. This is what Less Than Jake have always done so well – they write really solid tracks underpinned with memorable melodies and compliment them with added brass.
You could argue that Less Than Jake aren’t breaking any new ground here – ‘The Loudest Song’ and ‘American Idle’ aren’t a dramatic departure from tracks on 2003’s ‘Anthem’, but they do feel positive and well paced which certainly keeps your attention. The album in general has great momentum throughout, and by the time we’ve hit the penultimate‘ A Short History Lesson’ the band are absolutely flying.
‘See The Light’ feels fresh, care free and is hugely enjoyable and that’s exactly what you turn to a band like Less Than Jake for. Great stuff.
TOM BECK