21 January 2013
By Desmond Ho, Staff Writer
The latest release from the Gainesville ska-punk act Less Than Jake is a compilation made up of two recently released EPs, Greetings From Less Than Jake and Seasons Greetings from Less Than Jake (which is not actually a Christmas record). The band is known for its blend of pop-punk and third-wave ska, and the album delivers on that, albeit with more emphasis on the former.
Greetings and Salutations opens with the number “The New Auld Lang Syne,” which exemplifies their ska-punk sound. It’s basically pop-punk with ska breakdowns and, sometimes, a brass section. That’s not really a negative thing, but it’s a bit formulaic here. That can be attributed to the fact that the album was made as two separate pieces, and thus presents two separate listening experiences rather than one long one. The pop-punk elements start to really edge out the ska elements, though they’ve leaned that way for a while now.
It’s not a bad album, though. The tracks “Flag Holders Union” and “Finer Points of Forgiveness” in particular stand out. The former was recorded specifically for the album, and the latter I’d call one of their catchiest pop-punk songs. The rest of the album is fine and all, but nothing really stands out as much.
That’s the biggest problem with the record: it’s a decent album, but there’s not much to note. It’s definitely not going to go down as one of their best works, and some of it is rather forgettable. Most of the casual or newer fans would be better off starting with the band’s earlier works, like 1996’s Losing Streak or 1998’s Hello Rockview. As for Greetings and Salutations, it’s better suited for the more hardcore fans.
6.5/10
Courtesy of www.tribe-online.de