Album Review :
Fighting Jacks - Decade

Don’t listen to this album if you want to feel happy. Lyrically and musically, this is moody alternative rock taken to its logical conclusion. Decade brims with melancholy: “All the beauty I ever wanted is going to fade away” (“Fade; Decay”); “…helpless in will, my body just gave up” (“Do You Wanna Find Out?”); “There’s no one on the road that I can call a friend” (“Closer”). Fighting Jacks like their vocals and guitars loud, making for some of the best rock I’ve heard in a long while on songs like “Fade; Decay” and “Come On Come On.” Both are memorable for their infectiously catchy choruses, and the former benefits from an experimental palette of sounds. That being said, sometimes the loud vocals and guitars don’t fare quite so well, resulting in verses and choruses that leave something to be desired (e.g., “Secrets” and “Hush Be Still”). Fortunately, this is made up for in the nine minute “Closer” which, to my surprise, doesn’t feel like a song that drags. Decade, while having some moments that lack vitality, is one of the better rock albums from 2017. If you missed it last year like I did, I recommend giving it a listen.