Melody Maker (10/31/00, p.58) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Aural Prozac....dealing with the bothersome minutiae of life - dead-end jobs...dead-end towns and dead-end relationships...taking all that frustration and channeling it into something 'positive'..."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.53) - "This album has moments of brilliance..."
Less Than Jake: Chris (vocals, guitar); Roger (vocals, bass); Buddy, Pete (trombone); Vinnie (drums).
Additional personnel: Derron (baritone saxophone).
Recorded at Grand Master Studios, Hollywood, California.
Third wave ska revivalists Less Than Jake return with another neat synthesis of near-metal guitar, punk-inflected rhythms and occasionally very funny lyrics. The songs here seem rather more personal and less obviously goofs than in earlier days (though anyone who could hear "Help Save the Youth of America From Exploding" or "All My Best Friends Are Metalheads" without laughing must have a heart of stone).
The new "Hell Looks a Lot Like L.A.," for example, is an obviously heartfelt coming of age story (albeit with a great catchy horn hook), and "Malt Liquor Tastes Better When You've Got Problems" is a lot more serious (it's guilt ridden, actually) than its title sounds. The overall mood here is a bit similar to late period Replacements--in other words, these guys are growing up, and they're not finding it a lot of fun.