Jackson United - Harmony and Dissidence (Album)
Dear Liberator Music,
Firstly, I’d like to say sorry. You see, I’ve had this Jackson United CD in my bag for weeks and have just put it in the CD player and frankly, I’m annoyed that I left it so long!
Harmony and Dissidence is an album that Green Day should have done as the follow up to Dookie. There’s a great mix of punk, indie, and reggae music styles, all held together by lyrics that border on political, but still manage to cover the good stuff like love and, well, other catastrophes.
Being that Jackson United is Chris Shiflett from the Foo Fighters side project, it features drums by Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl on all tracks (they take turns), I really liked this. It was like a side project blessing…
Anyway, down to the music. It’s fast-paced and guitar driven, better on the second listen than the first. I’d like to see what happens live, there’s a punk ethic that lies behind all the songs, that makes me want to listen to old Unwritten Law and drink beer from plastic cups.
First listen high points of Harmony and Dissidence are Trigger Happy, with its sing-along group chorus and dance-ability, and Stitching due to the upbeat tempo and Weezer-esque lyrics/vocal style. Oh, and Like A Bomb, I’m a sucker for clapping in songs, anything that will bring a live show together like that is worth it (at least once per set).
The primary highlight for me is Undertow, a song that starts with a reggae vibe, then bounces off into chorus that gets stuck in your head, I think it’s the time changes that do it, and the “everybody loves rock and roll” lyric, and the layered vocal finish. Seriously, listen to this track. Followed by White Flag Burning, this song would make a great Guitar Hero track, in fact there’s a riff in the song that is reminiscent of Barracuda by Heart…
I thought the weakness of the album was Lifeboat but I think that’s because lyrically it didn’t speak to me as much as the other tracks. There’s a lot of potential in these guys, maybe not stadium-filling-Foo-Fighters potential, but definitely the capability to do countrywide sold out shows.
I know I’ve dropped a lot of names already, but there’s one more that I’m going to put out there – Hot Snakes. The guitar style is reminiscent of the now defunct Rocket From The Crypt side project, man I love those guys.
I think what I liked most of all about this album was the red and black theme that ran all the way through it, and spilled onto the cover art. I know it’s nothing to do with the music, but maybe your marketing department will enjoy the fact that someone noticed. If I did, I’m sure other people did too!
In short, Harmony and Dissidence is a strong debut, by someone that knows the feeling of worldwide success. It is honest rock music. I’m interested to see where Shiflett and his band go from here.
Yours in humble grovelling apology,
JU convert.
