With everyone compiling end of the year lists of their favorite albums and all, I thought I might pass along one of my favorites for the year. "Christmas Island" by Andrew Jackson Jihad is many things, but it is NOT a Christmas record.
I learned of A.J.J. though Adam, a co-worker of my wife, Patty. I had given him a few CD's of some music Patty and I thought he should check out, and he, in return, gave us a few different bands to listen to - one of them was the band's CD, "Knife Man". They had me on the first listen but not for the reasons you would think.
For those unfamiliar with Andrew Jackson Jihad, they are a band from Phoenix, AZ that can rock out some of the greatest folk-punk music, but at first listen, can be a bit of a shock.
"It's all in the lyrics" is often said to be the way to a great song. A.J.J. has definitely accomplished that in so many different ways. It is something like I had never heard before...a sad, twisted, odd, depressing, fascinating, humorous...and I loved it.
As you can see in this video, you can also find yourself and a group of friends singing some of the strangest sing-a-longs I can remember.
When I first saw the title of the band's newest album "Christmas Island" it just made me laugh from the start. You've got to understand A.J.J. songs tend not to be on the happy side of life so the title just had me right away. As I've seen and heard from other A.J.J. fans and critics, this album is not as good as the past albums in the way that it is more commercial. I don't agree. Besides college radio stations, internet stations, a live show or a friend telling you about the band, I'm not really sure where you would hear their music due to obscenities and the content of most the songs. That's another reason I love the band, because it's their art.
Lyrics to Getting Naked and Playing with Guns:
Getting naked and playing with guns
There’s a gerbil in the microwave, a baseball bat in everyone
Sharing kisses and building a bomb
We’ll set it off like Microsoft in ’94
We’ll set it off like Microsoft in ’94
McDonald's PlayPlace before the Xbox.
Cake frosting, sweet talking, bedroom wall
Covered in knives, touching God, burning shit
We’ll make a wish and take a trip to Future Town like our daddy did
And we’ll kill the neighbor kid who only wants to be our friend
His dad is dead enough that his new dad his new dad can cure the bends
We’ll make a wish and take a trip to Future Town
Feeling weird, yet tasting sweet.
It’s a top-bottom, rock-smoking magic mask making it bleed
Feeling sweet, getting weird
Now I can see the playground through the trees
And I can see the playground from the trees
And we’ll show the neighbor kid what our love actually means
He’s here from out of town and I heard he’s got A.D.D.
We’ll climb the tallest branch with a rifle full of dreams.
And we’ll blow the little dickhead up to smithereens
Getting naked and playing with guns
There’s a gerbil in the microwave, a baseball bat in everyone
Sharing kisses and building a bomb
We’ll set it off like Microsoft in ’94
We’ll set it off like Microsoft in ’94
We’ll set it off like Microsoft in ’94 in our backyard.
There’s a gerbil in the microwave, a baseball bat in everyone
Sharing kisses and building a bomb
We’ll set it off like Microsoft in ’94
We’ll set it off like Microsoft in ’94
McDonald's PlayPlace before the Xbox.
Cake frosting, sweet talking, bedroom wall
Covered in knives, touching God, burning shit
We’ll make a wish and take a trip to Future Town like our daddy did
And we’ll kill the neighbor kid who only wants to be our friend
His dad is dead enough that his new dad his new dad can cure the bends
We’ll make a wish and take a trip to Future Town
Feeling weird, yet tasting sweet.
It’s a top-bottom, rock-smoking magic mask making it bleed
Feeling sweet, getting weird
Now I can see the playground through the trees
And I can see the playground from the trees
And we’ll show the neighbor kid what our love actually means
He’s here from out of town and I heard he’s got A.D.D.
We’ll climb the tallest branch with a rifle full of dreams.
And we’ll blow the little dickhead up to smithereens
Getting naked and playing with guns
There’s a gerbil in the microwave, a baseball bat in everyone
Sharing kisses and building a bomb
We’ll set it off like Microsoft in ’94
We’ll set it off like Microsoft in ’94
We’ll set it off like Microsoft in ’94 in our backyard.
With MANY more lyrical and joyfully, twisted songs, this is one of my favorite albums of the year. I recommend that you listen to it a few times and you will understand the refreshing and fun world of Andrew Jackson Jihad and "Christmas Island.
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