Six albums is a lot for any band, it shows a certain amount of dedication to the music and over that time you mostly sort out any differences you have between you as an act.
Garbagepop stalwarts AJJ (formerly known as Andrew Jackson Jihad), from Phoenix Arizona, decided this was the occasion to leave all folly behind them, and to reinforce their strengths. Comprising Sean Bonnette, Ben Gallaty, Preston Bryant, and Mark Glick, AJJ met up with producer John Congleton, who oversaw their 2014 opus, ‘Christmas Island’. They recorded and mixed the new album in nine days – the band having arranged most of the songs during soundchecks on tour, and while on downtime travelling in the van. With the new album, and its more elaborate arrangements and wider dynamics, they also simplified their name to an acronym, thus allowing their music to define them, not their band name.
‘The Bible 2’, an ambitious and assured collection, places its mantra at the very centre: “No More Shame, No More Fear, No More Dread”. The first single, ‘Goodbye, Oh Goodbye’, is a super-fun song accompanied by a brightly coloured video, shot in one take “in a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles”. Musically, the song reminds us of the best of 90s Britpop, while at the same time lyrically calling to mind the likes of Weezer and They Might Be Giants.
Some really nice touches in the video are the plastic balls in the same colours as the bands’ tshirts, their deadpan expressions, and the random additions such as a car tyre being rolled across the room, a banner saying “music video”, and confetti thrown at the end.
Check out the video for ‘Goodbye, Oh Goodbye’:
You can find AJJ online on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify. AJJ are currently on tour, see their website for details. ‘The Bible 2’ is available from SideOneDummy Records, and Bandcamp.
