"God I love some people sometimes, because people are the greatest thing to happen"
The Phoenix/Tuscon music scenes have harbored the likes of Andrew Jackson Jihad, French Quarter, Foot Ox, and many more. These bands occupy a musical space somewhere between the folk/punk of Against Me!, the dark and abstract melodies of Neutral Milk Hotel, and all the while keeping it all grounded at a very light-hearted, tangible, DIY aesthetic. Andrew Jackson Jihad (Sean Bonnette & Ben Gallaty), among other bands such as Defiance Ohio, This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb, Mischief Brew, are seen as quintessential folk/punk bands. But don't let that delude you, Andrew Jackson Jihad is that and far beyond.
This duo, known for their energetic live shows, do more with an acoustic guitar and standup bass than most could imagine. "People Who Can Eat People..." is a collection of beautifully crafted songs rooted in their guitar/bass combo, and driven by Sean Bonnette's powerful, whimsical, clever/sarcastic/political/demented/awesome vocals. His singing style echoes John Darnielle (of Mountain Goats fame), Jeff Mangum, and seems as though could have been a huge influence on Teague Cullen (of Foot Ox). It's that sort of vocal style where melody is more powerful than tone, don't give up on a note no matter how far out of reach it is... and hit it or not, the listener feels the valiant effort. On top of this, the songs are beautifully colored in with instruments like the banjo, accordion, horns, and even drums! A perfect production for any fan of a stripped down studio sound.
The album opens up with "Rejoice", and drives you through the first five tracks without any time to breath. These cluster of tracks make for one of the best openers to an album I've heard. Unforgettable lyrics regarding the valiant human spirit are heard all throughout, one song driving into the next with absolute perfection. "Rejoice despite the fact this world will hurt you//Rejoice despite the fact this world will kill you//Rejoice despite the fact this world will tear you to shreds//Rejoice because you're trying your best". "Brave as a Noun" has a viciously catchy melody and gaplessly takes you into "Survival Song", another gem of equal magnitude. "Bad Bad Things" attempts to expose the inner demon inside all of us, that creature we all have to curb everyone once in a while in order to stay within our own moral compass. "So I looked in your eyes/And saw the reflection/of the coward you and I both hate very much". In "No More Tears" Bonnette describes his vision of the perfect world, a world without HIV, tweak, but most of all, he wants "no more tears".
The following songs "Bells & Whistles" and "Randy's House" find AJJ letting more of the punk within shoot out. More aggressive than the previous songs, yet still clinging to the same family of melodies and themes. "A Song Dedicated to Stormy The Rabbit" (possibly the little guy on the album cover?) is a powerful introspective piece. Driven by a xylophone, violin, accordian, and spastic chaotic horns; the mood of the lyrics are perfectly set. "And I'd like to be a big ball of meat/that bees can buzz around and eat when i die/so that I may be granted/one sense of purpose". The following track "People II: The Reckoning" follows the themes from the previous tracks, but takes things to a more societal level. The closer "People" ties the album back full circle with "Rejoice", triumph of the human spirit.
This album is NOT for any niche of people, it is simply for PEOPLE. Grab a friend, give it a listen, and cherish this life we've been blessed with.
Download Here
Buy It Here
Here are some lyrics I find stand out:
"People are my religion/because I believe in them/and people are my enemies/and people are my friends/I have faith in my fellow man/and I only hope that he has faith in me"
"welcome to this world/have as much fun as you would like/while helping others have as much fun as you're having//and be kind to those you love/and be kind to those you don't/but for god's sakes you gotta be kind"
"There's a bad man in everyone/no matter who we are/there's a rapist and a nazi living in our tiny hearts/child pornographers and cannibals, politicians too/there's someone in your head waiting to fucking strangle you"
"We're all one big band across this land and we should sing in tune/let's grow the balls, to break the walls/ we've got to do it soon"
"If this is how you folks make art, it's fucking depressing"
"I'm afraid to leave the house/I'm as timid as a mouse/I'm afraid if I go out I'll outwear my welcome/I'm not a courageous man/I don't have any big lusty plans/I'm too cowardly to take a lead, I want to keep my nose clean"
"I give a thank you to my father for not raising me/and I give a finger to my stepfather for beating me/And I give myself props for achieving/Godamn I'm glad that i survived"
"If I don't go to hell when I die then I might go to Heaven/But probably not"
The Phoenix/Tuscon music scenes have harbored the likes of Andrew Jackson Jihad, French Quarter, Foot Ox, and many more. These bands occupy a musical space somewhere between the folk/punk of Against Me!, the dark and abstract melodies of Neutral Milk Hotel, and all the while keeping it all grounded at a very light-hearted, tangible, DIY aesthetic. Andrew Jackson Jihad (Sean Bonnette & Ben Gallaty), among other bands such as Defiance Ohio, This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb, Mischief Brew, are seen as quintessential folk/punk bands. But don't let that delude you, Andrew Jackson Jihad is that and far beyond.
This duo, known for their energetic live shows, do more with an acoustic guitar and standup bass than most could imagine. "People Who Can Eat People..." is a collection of beautifully crafted songs rooted in their guitar/bass combo, and driven by Sean Bonnette's powerful, whimsical, clever/sarcastic/political/demented/awesome vocals. His singing style echoes John Darnielle (of Mountain Goats fame), Jeff Mangum, and seems as though could have been a huge influence on Teague Cullen (of Foot Ox). It's that sort of vocal style where melody is more powerful than tone, don't give up on a note no matter how far out of reach it is... and hit it or not, the listener feels the valiant effort. On top of this, the songs are beautifully colored in with instruments like the banjo, accordion, horns, and even drums! A perfect production for any fan of a stripped down studio sound.
The album opens up with "Rejoice", and drives you through the first five tracks without any time to breath. These cluster of tracks make for one of the best openers to an album I've heard. Unforgettable lyrics regarding the valiant human spirit are heard all throughout, one song driving into the next with absolute perfection. "Rejoice despite the fact this world will hurt you//Rejoice despite the fact this world will kill you//Rejoice despite the fact this world will tear you to shreds//Rejoice because you're trying your best". "Brave as a Noun" has a viciously catchy melody and gaplessly takes you into "Survival Song", another gem of equal magnitude. "Bad Bad Things" attempts to expose the inner demon inside all of us, that creature we all have to curb everyone once in a while in order to stay within our own moral compass. "So I looked in your eyes/And saw the reflection/of the coward you and I both hate very much". In "No More Tears" Bonnette describes his vision of the perfect world, a world without HIV, tweak, but most of all, he wants "no more tears".
The following songs "Bells & Whistles" and "Randy's House" find AJJ letting more of the punk within shoot out. More aggressive than the previous songs, yet still clinging to the same family of melodies and themes. "A Song Dedicated to Stormy The Rabbit" (possibly the little guy on the album cover?) is a powerful introspective piece. Driven by a xylophone, violin, accordian, and spastic chaotic horns; the mood of the lyrics are perfectly set. "And I'd like to be a big ball of meat/that bees can buzz around and eat when i die/so that I may be granted/one sense of purpose". The following track "People II: The Reckoning" follows the themes from the previous tracks, but takes things to a more societal level. The closer "People" ties the album back full circle with "Rejoice", triumph of the human spirit.
This album is NOT for any niche of people, it is simply for PEOPLE. Grab a friend, give it a listen, and cherish this life we've been blessed with.
Download Here
Buy It Here
Here are some lyrics I find stand out:
"People are my religion/because I believe in them/and people are my enemies/and people are my friends/I have faith in my fellow man/and I only hope that he has faith in me"
"welcome to this world/have as much fun as you would like/while helping others have as much fun as you're having//and be kind to those you love/and be kind to those you don't/but for god's sakes you gotta be kind"
"There's a bad man in everyone/no matter who we are/there's a rapist and a nazi living in our tiny hearts/child pornographers and cannibals, politicians too/there's someone in your head waiting to fucking strangle you"
"We're all one big band across this land and we should sing in tune/let's grow the balls, to break the walls/ we've got to do it soon"
"If this is how you folks make art, it's fucking depressing"
"I'm afraid to leave the house/I'm as timid as a mouse/I'm afraid if I go out I'll outwear my welcome/I'm not a courageous man/I don't have any big lusty plans/I'm too cowardly to take a lead, I want to keep my nose clean"
"I give a thank you to my father for not raising me/and I give a finger to my stepfather for beating me/And I give myself props for achieving/Godamn I'm glad that i survived"
"If I don't go to hell when I die then I might go to Heaven/But probably not"
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