Less Than Jake - In with the Out Crowd - Music & Performance - CD
Key item features
Nearly 15 years ago, Less Than Jake formed in Florida as a power-pop trio. As the ska-punk craze took over the scene, the band added a handful of members, took their sound in a new direction and found themselves with a major label debut by 1996.
Ten years later, the band is still making fast-paced music, and the modern punk influences are still there. The sound has matured, but Less Than Jake still serves up a feast for the ears that is just as infectious as their earlier work. In With the Out Crowd is the band's first full-length studio release since 2003, and while the wait has been a long one, the time obviously has been well-spent.
In With the Out Crowd has many of the same elements that has always made Less Than Jake so endearing -- the pop hooks are inescapable, the lyrics are clever and there's just no sitting still when this is coming through the speakers. Moving away from the horn-driven ska sound, Less Than Jake now stands on the same musical territory as acts like Yellowcard and Green Day, but they stand their ground well.
"Soundtrack of My Life," which kicks off the album, is an energetic number about looking for meaning in life. The soul-searching is the end result of having done plenty of living, and now as he looks through wiser eyes, he wants more from his life. The message is a great one, but even without the lyrics this is a fabulously danceable song.
The album's first single, "Overrated (Everything Is)" is the perfect choice to attract listeners to this disc. It's a great little rocker, and the theme -- of becoming bored with our choices in life -- is universal. The song looks at how we've been so bombarded from all sides with options and entertainment that, in the end, they all become nothing more than yawn-inducing diversions from our daily lives.
Longtime fans will relish songs like "Don't Fall Asleep on the Subway" and "Mostly Memories," which prove the boys still have some ska music running through their blood. They pull out the horns for these two songs, and return to some old familiar musical ways. "Don't Fall Asleep on the Subway" again visits the theme of being bored with life, only in this scenario, he's finding escape and heading off to other adventures.
The much more mellow "The Rest of My Life" is another looking-life-in-the-face kind of song. This time around, he's trying to live with the situations he has created and is having trouble sleeping in the bed that he's made. The song is impossibly addictive, and for anyone unfamiliar with Less Than Jake, this could be the song that turns one into a fan.
Even though most of the songs here are about loss -- losing love, losing hope or just losing sight of why we're on this planet -- the musical mood is, as always, upbeat and invigorating. On the closing track, "P.S. Shock the World," Less Than Jake weaves in a bit of old-school ska influences with a completely modern rock sound and delivers a final message about frustrations of the daily world. Realizing that personal beliefs and lives are fleeting, he recognizes that, eventually, the messages of his songs will fade away. But in the end, it won't really matter, because the only purpose of his music was to give him a place to spill his thoughts without losing his mind.
Less Than Jake has definitely grown up in the past 15 years. The songs are more reflective and the music has evolved with changing times. Fortunately, however, the one thing that hasn't changed about this band is its insistence on creating music that will make you dance harder than it will make you think.
By Paula Felps
Specs
- PerformerLess than Jake
- Music genreRock
- Music subgenreCD - PUNK
- Music release typeRelease
- Media formatCD
- Original release date2006
Free 90-day returns
How do you want your item?
More seller options (3)
Get free delivery, shipping and more*
About this item
Product details
Nearly 15 years ago, Less Than Jake formed in Florida as a power-pop trio. As the ska-punk craze took over the scene, the band added a handful of members, took their sound in a new direction and found themselves with a major label debut by 1996.
Ten years later, the band is still making fast-paced music, and the modern punk influences are still there. The sound has matured, but Less Than Jake still serves up a feast for the ears that is just as infectious as their earlier work. In With the Out Crowd is the band's first full-length studio release since 2003, and while the wait has been a long one, the time obviously has been well-spent.
In With the Out Crowd has many of the same elements that has always made Less Than Jake so endearing -- the pop hooks are inescapable, the lyrics are clever and there's just no sitting still when this is coming through the speakers. Moving away from the horn-driven ska sound, Less Than Jake now stands on the same musical territory as acts like Yellowcard and Green Day, but they stand their ground well.
"Soundtrack of My Life," which kicks off the album, is an energetic number about looking for meaning in life. The soul-searching is the end result of having done plenty of living, and now as he looks through wiser eyes, he wants more from his life. The message is a great one, but even without the lyrics this is a fabulously danceable song.
The album's first single, "Overrated (Everything Is)" is the perfect choice to attract listeners to this disc. It's a great little rocker, and the theme -- of becoming bored with our choices in life -- is universal. The song looks at how we've been so bombarded from all sides with options and entertainment that, in the end, they all become nothing more than yawn-inducing diversions from our daily lives.
Longtime fans will relish songs like "Don't Fall Asleep on the Subway" and "Mostly Memories," which prove the boys still have some ska music running through their blood. They pull out the horns for these two songs, and return to some old familiar musical ways. "Don't Fall Asleep on the Subway" again visits the theme of being bored with life, only in this scenario, he's finding escape and heading off to other adventures.
The much more mellow "The Rest of My Life" is another looking-life-in-the-face kind of song. This time around, he's trying to live with the situations he has created and is having trouble sleeping in the bed that he's made. The song is impossibly addictive, and for anyone unfamiliar with Less Than Jake, this could be the song that turns one into a fan.
Even though most of the songs here are about loss -- losing love, losing hope or just losing sight of why we're on this planet -- the musical mood is, as always, upbeat and invigorating. On the closing track, "P.S. Shock the World," Less Than Jake weaves in a bit of old-school ska influences with a completely modern rock sound and delivers a final message about frustrations of the daily world. Realizing that personal beliefs and lives are fleeting, he recognizes that, eventually, the messages of his songs will fade away. But in the end, it won't really matter, because the only purpose of his music was to give him a place to spill his thoughts without losing his mind.
Less Than Jake has definitely grown up in the past 15 years. The songs are more reflective and the music has evolved with changing times. Fortunately, however, the one thing that hasn't changed about this band is its insistence on creating music that will make you dance harder than it will make you think.
By Paula Felps
