Sometimes it's fun to walk into a record store and buy an album from a band you've never heard of. This is how I came into contact with Andrew Jackson Jihad. They're an absolutely crazy folk punk band from Arizona that takes the line between seriousness and ridiculousness and attempts to erase with a smudgy eraser. This however, just leaves a mess all over the proverbial paper. They are deeply immersed in DIY ethic and it seems like they recorded their latest album "can't maintain." in an old garage or someone's basement. It's a surprisingly eclectic mix that only consists of an acoustic guitar and an upright bass. The band sometimes brings other instruments into the fix, like a piano, saxophone, or kazoo. The back cover also credits a member with "hitting himself in the face 106 times." As a warning, their lyrics range from seriously vague to hilariously blunt; and they don't take time to avoid vulgarities. This does add to the overall effect; cussing over punky bluegrass I will admit sounds interesting...
Highlight tracks:
- Kazoo Sonata in Cmaj
- Olde(y) Tyme(y)
- We Didn't Come Here to Rock
As stated before, listen at your own risk.
