Less Than Jake

After half a decade of inactivity on the studio album front, Less Than Jake really are back with a bang with ‘See the Light‘. Released via Fat Wreck Chords, ‘See the Light‘ is the band’s ninth studio album to date, a thirteen track release that should no doubt please long term fans of the band and win over new admirers, too.

Right from the opening of first track ‘Good Enough‘ there’s a fantastic familiarity about the music; the track is complete with the energy found on early albums such as ‘Losing Streak‘ and ‘Hello Rockview‘, whilst also featuring powerful production values and a strong sense of the pop sensibilities that have helped propel the band forward throughout the years. Blurring the borders (and boundaries) between old school and new school Less Than Jake, ‘Good Enough‘ provides a fantastic introduction to this release, setting the bar extremely high with an opening that makes it instantly clear that ‘See the Light‘ is likely to be an extremely special album from Less Than Jake.

As the band launch their way through the ‘See the Light‘ studio album you get to experience a number of sides and sounds of Less Than Jake, from the short and snappy blast of ‘A Short History Lesson‘, to the more relaxed pace and chilled out vibe of ‘Do the Math‘. The band bounce through the album with a strong sense of style, with the horn section driving right through the heart of the release. Whilst lyrically the album may touch upon some pretty dark subject matter, the band always manage to make the music sound extremely upbeat and positive. There’s an impressive lyrical strength present throughout and you can definitely tell that the band have matured a lot as musicians over the years; you can tell that this is an album from a band with a huge amount of experience, but there’s also much about the music that feels extremely familiar from even the earliest of the band’s releases.

Just as Less Than Jake begin the album with a bang in ‘Good Enough‘, closing number ‘Weekends All Year Long‘ ensures that the album not only has an incredible opening, but also an absolutely sublime closing anthem. There’s an underlying instrumental aggression about the sound, some extremely hard hitting vocals, and also some of the band’s most memorable horn work to date. The track just seems to slot together incredibly nicely in all areas; it’s tight, well worked, and everything about the track just feels right.

Some of the tracks present on this album are amongst the best that Less Than Jake have ever written, and it’s all been produced by the band’s very own Roger Lima, an extremely impressive point when you consider that this album probably has the best production values of any album that the band have ever put out. Less Than Jake’s last album to be put out through Fat Wreck Chords came way back in 2000 with ‘Borders & Boundaries‘, and by returning to Fat Wreck for ‘See the Light‘ they have managed to once again do the label incredibly proud with another incredibly high quality ska punk studio album that should most definitely put a huge smile on the face of fans of the genre.

Everything that made Less Than Jake such an exciting band in the late 90s/early 2000s is still there in abundance with ‘See the Light‘, but there’s also a fantastic depth and lyrical maturity about the band now. Musically the album is extremely tight, and at every step and turn there is much to admire and appreciate about the material on display here. Listening to this album you feel an extreme sense of happiness and joy; not a nostalgic appreciation for what the band were, but a fantastic admiration for what the band very much still are today. After more than 20 years on the scene, Less Than Jake are still as relevant today as ever, producing absolutely fantastic ska punk music that comes complete with lyrical depth, instrumental strength, and a fine art for crafting an incredibly catchy chorus. The ska punk scene may not be as thriving today as it once was, Less Than Jake are still doing their thing with incredible style, however, and they evidence in ‘See the Light‘ just how strong a ska punk band they still truly are.