Recently, I listened to their latest full-length album, Can't Maintain, which will be released in September. My first impression of Andrew Jackson Jihad was that they sounded like a mix between The Mountain Goats and Dead Kennedys. I sensed a bit of Neutral Milk Hotel folk-punk influence, which was reinforced when I saw one of their singles that featured a cover of "Two Headed Boy" and had artwork that took off the cover for In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.
The album starts off with "Heartilation", one of the most straight-up punk tracks on the album. The vocals on this track, like many of the others, sound urgent and nervous, almost yelpy. "Love in the Time of Human Papillomavirus" is probably the most beautiful song on the album, with a somber string arrangement and female back-up vocals. The silliest song on the album goes to "Kazoo Sonata in C Major" which is exactly what is sounds like. Overall this is a good album. The lyrics are honest and sharp. Bonnette rips out his heart and slams it down over
every song. The music is bouncy and fun. Listen to it.
