SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LESS THAN JAKE – UNCHARTED

LESS THAN JAKE
UNCHARTED
PURE NOISE

For an album named after discovering the unknown, it’s amusing that it’s incredibly obvious that this is a Less Than Jake album from the second you hit the play button. All the hallmarks of the best of the band are here: the loud, bouncing groove twinned with the rapid-fire vocals, delivered as distinctively as ever in the strange mix of growl and whine that’s blessed every record of theirs.

It’s a short, sweet, and happy album, a welcome tonic to the strange world outside at the moment. All the tracks are at least happily solid, containing all the usual energy that ska-punk does. As with most ska-punk bands, though, it feels like the live arena may suit some of these songs better than a record.

That said, “Brand New Day” is a particular standout – lyrically and musically, it hits the mark that some of the band’s best work ever did. Combining that with some interesting ventures into less horn-led territory, particularly the pop-punk nature of the album’s closer “Shake Loose The Truth”, gives the album a well-rounded quality. While it’s not groundbreaking, it’s certainly solid, and while the weather gets worse outside and the world seems full of uncertainties, it’s nice to have Less Than Jake to rely on.

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