Band : Less Than Jake
Album : TV (EP)
Release Year : 2010
Genre : Ska / Punk
Tracklist :
1. Channel 1
2. Channel 2
3. Channel 3
4. Channel 4
5. Channel 5
6. Channel 6
7. Channel 7
8. Channel 8
9. Channel 9
10. Channel 10
11. Channel 11
12. Channel 12
13. Channel 13
14. Channel 14
15. Channel 15
16. Channel 16
2. Channel 2
3. Channel 3
4. Channel 4
5. Channel 5
6. Channel 6
7. Channel 7
8. Channel 8
9. Channel 9
10. Channel 10
11. Channel 11
12. Channel 12
13. Channel 13
14. Channel 14
15. Channel 15
16. Channel 16
Floridian ska-punk veterans Less Than Jake return with their latest effort, a covers album of TV theme songs and commercial jingles. With its 16 tracks spanning only 13 minutes, this is a quick-fire release with each track separated by that “chk” noise of a TV dial changing.
Having previously released an album of covers from the musical Grease, and a good number of other tributes here and there (Tommy Tutone’s “Jenny (867-5309)” and the Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love you” being standouts), arranging classics into the ska-punk style is nothing new for Less Than Jake, and something they do with aplomb.
This disc opens with the band’s take on the Nickelodeon tween sit-com “iCarly”, followed quickly by the “Hungry Hungry Hippos” jingle which makes great use of the band’s horn section. Other noteworthy tracks are the fantastic “Animaniacs” theme which suits Less than Jake’s cartoonish appeal perfectly and includes a little self-deprecation with the line ‘covers are lame-y!’; and the “Married With Children” theme. “Spongebob Squarepants” is also an incredibly fun listen.
Where this EP lets itself down is in some of the song choices. Covering They Might Be Giants’ “Boss of Me” from Malcolm In The Middle seems either cheap or at best a tip-of-the-cap to that band, as little is changed from the original apart from a slight departure from the vocal melody. “Scooby Doo” and “Laverne and Shirley” have both been covered to death by bands of similar genres (the latter even being covered by this band some years ago on their Losers, Kings, and Things We Don’t Understand album). However this is counteracted by some wonderfully obscure choices such as the jingles for Pac-Man Cereal and American website
Having previously released an album of covers from the musical Grease, and a good number of other tributes here and there (Tommy Tutone’s “Jenny (867-5309)” and the Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love you” being standouts), arranging classics into the ska-punk style is nothing new for Less Than Jake, and something they do with aplomb.
This disc opens with the band’s take on the Nickelodeon tween sit-com “iCarly”, followed quickly by the “Hungry Hungry Hippos” jingle which makes great use of the band’s horn section. Other noteworthy tracks are the fantastic “Animaniacs” theme which suits Less than Jake’s cartoonish appeal perfectly and includes a little self-deprecation with the line ‘covers are lame-y!’; and the “Married With Children” theme. “Spongebob Squarepants” is also an incredibly fun listen.
Where this EP lets itself down is in some of the song choices. Covering They Might Be Giants’ “Boss of Me” from Malcolm In The Middle seems either cheap or at best a tip-of-the-cap to that band, as little is changed from the original apart from a slight departure from the vocal melody. “Scooby Doo” and “Laverne and Shirley” have both been covered to death by bands of similar genres (the latter even being covered by this band some years ago on their Losers, Kings, and Things We Don’t Understand album). However this is counteracted by some wonderfully obscure choices such as the jingles for Pac-Man Cereal and American website
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