Less Than Jake

In With The Out Crowd

[3/5] Less Than Jake have an excuse to veer away from their traditional sound. It was bound to happen: With more than 14 years of music under their PEZ dispensers, recollecting teenage angst and staying chock-full of crowd-pleasing anthems, LTJ are among the last of the dying big-name ska-punk breed. With the genre a mere ghost town, In With The Out Crowd keeps ska’s faint pulse beating, but it also reaches out with a harder punk sensibility. A going-nowhere-fast theme with a definitive older and mature sound permeates the album with a nostalgic haze; yet there’s plenty of opportunity for fist-pumping moments and “whoa-oh-oh” sing-alongs. LTJ’s trademark dual-vocal styling can be found on “Soundtrack Of My Life,” while “Let Her Go” oozes with mid-’90s ska revival. “Mostly Memories” is the most contemplative of the tracks, with a slight acoustic vibe. But wait: a Less Than Jake song giving you an emo moment? As hard as that is to swallow, the hard and slightly gritty façade of In With The Out Crowd doesn’t mimic previous releases; rather, it’s an LTJ album outcast among the rest, sticking the proverbial finger in the faces of naysayers who mocked the band for never trading in their horns for a Moog. (WARNER BROS.) Jennifer Sica