JACKSON POLITICK - Paste v.1 LP

Highly recommended.

Lithograph insert with lyrics. Includes d/l code.

Nicely priced. One copy only.

When it comes to rock music worthy of the titular “outsider” label, being embellished in enough surprisingly-sensical idiosyncrasies to separate the sound from a more straightforward style, history has shown time and time again that you can’t go wrong with someone like ANDY JORDON.

Serving as a frontman to the ever-swoonworthy ANDY HUMAN AND THE REPTOIDS, as well as the semi-lucid guitarist to Oakland’s THE WORLD, there exists an Andy-bred solo project that toys with conventions similar to those explored in both these projects, that being JACKSON POLITICK.

Save for the single name attached, the band is about as cryptic as any other self-released punk record. It’s driftless, sporadic, and often times frenzied, coursing through an array of subgenres.

Contained within this eclectic collection of punk-tinged chunes are lulling, generally low-energy jams spotted with light, fuzzy, sparkly melodies and charming instrumental arrangements, a lo-fi auditory soundscape sheathed in summery vibes, all ruptured by an occasional stint of fiery guitar licks and pulsing drumbeats more oriented towards punk territory.

This sort of variability, this spirit, this free-formed attitude, all elevate this album into something that’s so helplessly charismatic. It’s much more than gimmicky stylizations made to pander to the lowest common denominators of rock and roll fiends, or overly-sugary ballads made to rot your ear canals with earworms as shallow as your average Hallmark card. It’s just... smart.