The year was 1998 and it was finally spring. The glorious weather and free and easy life that is typical of being young were not lost on me. I had a bounce in my step and appropriately so, for I was listening to what I considered one of the greatest records ever made: "Pezcore" by Less Than Jake. The trees were sprouting leaves up in the sky just as so many new romances were popping up from out of nowhere at South junior High in Saint Cloud, MN. Rather than settle for a one night stand (as kids that age are wont to do), I decided to devote my untested heart to a band that seemed to be writing the soundtrack to my life.
I am being a bit facetious, but only just slightly. Before stumbling across LTJ I had only "discovered" one other band, Reel Big Fish. Other than The Beatles, I had only purchased a hand full of albums (by such bands at The Presidents of the United States of America, the Rolling Stones, and the soundtrack to the movie "That Thing You Do."). What is it about bands with three word names that make people want to sit back, smoke some ditch weed and get lost in melodic wondrousness and lyrical intricacies?
I guess for me Less Than Jake always combined a fun, free and fast style of play with words and songs that meant things to them. On their old website was a really cool feature where each band member interviewed one of the other guys in the group. I listened to one story and journey through music after another, to all of the crazy events and amazing experiences that surely go along with any kind of music tour in the U.S. or abroad, and I couldn't help but feel like I knew who those guys were.
I have never stopped listening to Less Than Jake. In fact, I have joined their "collector nerd" ranks and own a bunch of rare vinyls and other things (including the ever-elusive Pie Tin, though it is missing the smoker's club card, the Cereal Box and Pizza Box, etc.). The only worthwhile music to listen to are those songs and albums where emotion and truth are apparent from start to finish. If LTJ brings anything to the table, that just may be it.
The album "Borders & Boundaries" is all about touring and what it is like to reminisce about home and growing up when one is 2000 miles away and drifting along highways through cities and states that are unfamiliar. "Pezcore" was recorded over a 2 day period during breaks from three concerts and has a live, fresh and raw quality to it. I guess my point is that this band puts out music that is not necessarily created to make money, bring in groupies or get face time on MTV.
Rather, it is about life, friends, love and the pursuit of avoiding a 9-5 job and a decades of time that could have been better spent doing something else.
"The Science of Selling Yourself Short"
I've come to my senses,
That I've become senseless,
I could give you lessons on how to ruin your friendships,
Every last conviction, I smoked them all away,
I drank my frustrations down the drain, out of the way,
So I sit and wait and wonder,
"Does anyone else feel like me?"
Someone so tired of their routines and disappearing self-esteems,
[Chorus:]
I'll sing along,
Yeah with every emergency,
Just sing along,
I'm the king of catastrophies,
I'm so far gone,
That deep down inside I think it's fine by me,
I'm my own worst enemy
I could be an expert on co-dependency,
I could write the best book on underage tragedy,
I've been spending my time at the local liquor store,
I've been sleeping nightly on my best friends kitchen floor,
So I sit and wait and wonder,
"Does anyone else feel like me?"
I'm so over-dosed on apathy and burnt out on sympathy.
[Chorus]
Let the meaning slip away
Lost my faith in another day,
Self deprication seems okay,
I never thought I'd make it anyway
No comments:
Post a Comment