Andrew Jackson Jihad

Candy Cigarettes, Capguns, Issue Problems and Such (2011)

Tori Pederson

The folk-punk market has become pretty oversaturated in the past couple years, but as with any scene, there are a few bands worth wading through the crowd for. Andrew Jackson Jihad is one of those bands. As its title suggests, Candy Cigarettes, Capguns, Issue Problems and Such collects AJJ's Candy Cigarettes and Capguns LP, Issue Problems EP and various other odds and ends. While the band hasn't changed their sound much over the years, they have gotten better at it, and listening to their earlier material only serves to highlight that. However, it is an interesting snapshot of the band's earlier years.

The band's first full-length, 2005's Candy Cigarettes and Capguns accounts for the first 11 tracks here, and it contains a few bona fide AJJ classics, like "Scenesters", "Ladykiller" and "F.W.P.", but on the whole it's a little shaky compared to their later works.

The next six tracks are culled from the Issue Problems EP. Five of these six later appeared in cleaned-up–and let's be honest, better–form on their 2007 People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World LP. The other track, "Powerplant" made it to their split with Ghost Mice. It's neat to hear where these songs came from, but if you've heard the newer versions, they won't have much replay value.

The rest of Candy Cigarettes, Capguns, Issue Problems and Such is still leagues above most of their folk-punk peers, but it's nothing too remarkable. The eye-popping cover art (a retooled version of the Candy Cigarettes LP) makes for a pretty cool package, and a worthy purchase for fans of the band, but a newcomer would be better served by picking up People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World or 2009's Can't Maintain.