ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD – Christmas Island

reviewed by Chris Aitkens | Wednesday, May 21st, 2014

Andrew Jackson Jihad "Christmas Island"I’ve always enjoyed the bizarre and obscure lyrics of Andrew Jackson Jihad. Who else can write a love song while throwing crystal meth and syphilis into the mix?

Now with the release of Christmas Island, the follow-up to 2011’s Knife Man, there’s even more to add to the list of obscurity. Swastikas and Xbox controllers get a mention twice in the album, and no AJJ record is complete without at least one reference to Jesus. There are so many clever lines in every song, but my personal favorite is “Hating you won’t make you suck any less” from “Kokopelli Face Tattoo.”

Singer Sean Bonnette sets an imagery that ranges from bittersweet, to painfully hilarious, to just plain gory. I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or huddle in a corner in the fetal position. Despite these confusing emotions, AJJ has made a solid album.

(SideOneDummy Records, PO Box 2350, Hollywood, CA 90078)


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