Band: Less Than Jake
Release: Greetings & Salutations (Album)
Release Date: Out Now
Despite being billed as the eighth full-length by Gainesville ska-punk ensemble Less Than Jake, ‘Greetings & Salutations’ is in fact a compilation of the two most recent EPs and a couple of previously unreleased tracks; ‘Flag Holders Union’ and ‘View from the Middle’. The expanded release of the record is a direct response to the positive feedback obtained by fans accessing the material on the band’s recent tours. With that in mind, ‘Greetings & Salutations’ already bears a certain level of anticipation for those without the required tickets.
The consolidated records are by far the most ska infused records Less Than Jake have released in some years. From the opening of ‘The New Auld Lang Syne’, brass instruments take the forefront of the sound; a characteristic which flows through the following eleven tracks. The trombone sound perhaps more prominent on earlier material switches between leading the tracks and sitting comfortably behind the punk overtones – yet regardless of it’s particular position it ensures that ‘Greetings & Salutations’ remains firmly in the ska subset.
The increased brass sections accompany the rhythmic song compositions of the original material. Whereas ‘Flag Holders Union’ and ‘View from the Middle’ turn up the tempo and provide a meatier approach, the previously released material invokes prototypal ska blueprints. Tracks such as ‘Goodbye, Mr. Personality’ or ‘Can’t Yell Any Louder’ occupy a steady paced bounce led by the brass instrumentation – ‘Oldest Trick in the Book’ (perhaps a self-fulfilling prophecy) steers well clear of threatening the specific boundaries of the genre.
The late appearance of ‘Done and Dusted’ attempts to revive the record with a swift (if mild) change in direction yet ends up as an insignificant ripple in an otherwise temperate pool. Marking their twentieth anniversary with this record, Less Than Jake are clinging onto a genre that has long-since lost its ‘je nous se qua’. ‘Greetings & Salutations’ sounds just as it would have twenty years ago – it contains the same rhythmic bounce that will encourage skanking across the globe and the same fusion of punk tones and brass sections that defined the style many years back. Those who have followed Less Than Jake during their impressive journey will fail to be disappointed by this release; however after twenty years in the business it is not unreasonable to expect a certain level of evolution.
6/10
Reviewer: Ben Tipple
