Some bands naturally have the ability to put smiles on faces. Less Than Jake is one of those bands. The punk legends are renowned for their upbeat ska, and rightly so. Many bands have tried to imitate them but Less Than Jake are the original ska-punk kings and with any luck will reign forever.
Hello Rockview is considered by many to be their finest hour:; containing fan favourites such as
Last One Out Of Liberty City and
All My Best Friends Are Metalheads. There is not a single poor song on here. Each song is great in its own right but compared to others on the album may seem weaker. Fortunately this does nothing to take away any of the brilliance of the album. From start to finish 'Hello Rockview' is a frenzied piece of perfetion.
J.R. and Buddy's horn riffs are superb and even when playing in the background add to the song. Like on all Less Than Jake albums, Roger's basswork here is excellent, rarely sticking to playing the basics, he makes each song interesting just for the basslines alone. His comparitively high voice fits in perfectly with lead vocalist Chris. Chris' guitar work is always fun to listen to especially in songs such as
Danny Says with the twangy-sounding, reggae-ish guitar during the verses. Drummer and lyricist Vinnie does his job well and although what he plays might not be the most advanced drumming you're likely to ever hear, it adds to the song and wouldn't sound the same without his fast-paced, simple beats
Some will say that all the songs sound the same on this album, but that is not simply not true, some are fast paced pop-punk songs such as
Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin while others have huge choruses like
Big Crash. One recurrent theme throughout the album however is the idea of becoming disillusioned with a lifestyle or the place where you live and leaving it behind. This is most apparent on
Al's War which tells the story of Al who finally leaves home and grows up. This is one of the highlights of the album as well with it's 'epic' (okay maybe not epic) intro leading onto a speedy ska-punk thrash. This is a nice way to end the album as it combines a lot of features of the album, fast paced punk, great uses of horns and big choruses.
I would reccommend this album to any Less Than Jake fan who hasn't yet got it, or anyone who is new to this band and likes what they have heard as it could easily get you into this great band.
