Music: Classics of Love - Self titled

Jesse Michaels, better known as the front man for the legendary Operation Ivy and less legendary Common Rider, is back with his second release from his new band Classics of Love...and he is fucking pissed...again. With zero hard evidence to back up this outrageous claim, I can say with 100% confidence that Op Ivy is the most influential band of all time, or at least 2nd behind the Insane Clown Posse. Either way every shit head in high school since the early 90's has cut their teeth on Energy and thought about getting a righteous ska guy tattoo as the anchor to that sick sleeve they're piecing together. Whether you listened to Michaels' charged up lyrics or not, Op Ivy was infectious, fast and fun. After he blew up Op Ivy and went AWOL (supposedly as a monk) his work with subsequent bands including 2009's Walking in Shadows by CoL lacked the blistering intensity that caused Operation Ivy to strike such a chord. It was almost as if Michaels was afraid to truly unleash the monster inside him for fear that once again the world would embrace it and demand that he be justly compensated.

Thankfully that monster is on full display again in "Classics of Love" and the world is exposed to Jesse's best work since...well...ever. Its like Operation Ivy without all the silly "hope for the future" or "optimism." On Castle in the Sky, Jesse demonstrates his harder lyrical edge:

Everyone likes power, I wish I had some

But you would kill the prophets for your place in the sun

Now it's up to us to keep you well heeled...

Who's telling lies in the corner?

Laughing as the house burns down?

Although some may find it depressing that the biggest punk icon since Joey Ramone supposedly spends his days working as a short order cook in California, I think that ultimately the world is a better place with an angry/uncomfortable Jesse Michaels. If he'd been able to sit back and collect royalty checks from all those hipsters' tattoos then we'd be missing what is turning out to be an exciting twilight to a remarkable career.

P.S. Any review of Classics of Love would be remiss not to mention that Jesse is backed by San Jose's excellent trio, The Hard Girls. You can check out their fantastic debut EP for free here (or you could throw them a $5 donation you cheap fuck.)

10/10