LESS THAN JAKE – Greetings From Less Than Jake EP (Sleep It Off): Few bands are better suited for the dropping of a surprise digital EP on their fans. With a rabid following, a knack for no-bullshit songwriting, and remarkable consistency in their almost 20 year run, LESS THAN JAKE are nothing but conquerors of their own domain, and it couldn’t be more true with a self-released, self-distributed digital EP like Greetings From Less Than Jake. Its five songs are a ska/punk refresher with each track smacking of a slightly different ratio of ska, punk, tempo, melody and angst. “Life Led Out Loud” supports its title in the fondest sense (fast! fast! fast!), while “Oldest Trick In The Book” is a mid-paced veteran move with hooks holding firm. I don’t hear a ‘greatest hit’ track on here, but that’s going up against a pretty high standard. Call it a brisk tune-up before the band’s next full-length, or maybe just the future in how LESS THAN JAKE will bring recorded works to their fans – whatever it is, it’s perfectly digestible among the band’s legendarily large discography.

AUGUST BURNS RED – Leveler (Solid State): These tech-metal/hardcore leaders are still turning heads on what is now their fourth full-length. AUGUST BURNS RED are the equivalent of the guy who is not only star quarterback of the high school football team, but valedictorian, and much to the chagrin of skeptics and jealously hounds everywhere, a really nice fella without a pretentious bone in his body. Bands like AUGUST BURNS RED should piss us off, with their near-perfect musicianship skills, affable dealings in the press, and striking ability to modestly improve and evolve on each release without losing sight of what makes them so focused on a particularly well-cultivated, nuanced sound. But to have an ax to grind against the band is fruitless… they wouldn’t care and their next musical exploit would be even more devastating. Leveler is a classic “smoothing out the hiccups” full-length, with less 90 degree tempo shifts (MESHUGGAH is still an overrated influence!), and more streamlined vocals and guitars. The result is something even more more powerful and looming. Less like a series of unpredictable aftershocks, and more like a blistering 75mph gust front preceding a whale of a thunderstorm. Overachievers…