JEFF The Brotherhood - We Are the Champions

Anyone who’s witnessed the brothers Jake (guitars and vocals) and Jamin (drums) Orall’s live set will know how raucous their brand of fuzzy head-banging guitar rock can get. They’ve been together in a band since childhood and had separate stints with Be Your Own Pet. Originally a DIY band with their label Infinity Cat Records (co-owned by their father who wrote songs for Lindsey Lohan), ‘We Are The Champions’ is an album that marks a new partnership with Warner Music Group. It’s a testament to their growing success – 2009’s ‘Heavy Day’s marking a different appeal to newer fans whilst keeping older ones satisfied.

It’s no surprise then that such a partnership might have sparked some of the album’s more experimental songs; opener ‘Hey Friend’ and Best Coast split single ‘Bummer’ borrows the garage humour of Weezer (“I’ve been thinking about your mom / You can’t tell me if it’s really wrong / It’s been going on for way too long”). ‘Diamond Way’ sounds like a toned down ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ whilst ‘Health and Strength’ is what you’d listen to whilst smoking pot in India. It shows that the Orall’s aren’t afraid to step into new territory and they do it perfectly whilst keeping some of their trademark boyish humour intact.

There’s still enough Marshall amp blowing riffery to keep veteran fans happy though. The psychedelic ‘Mellow Out’ might be the resulting collaboration between Hendrix and Cobain if they both lived today. For all its overblown statement of intent, the crappy lyrical couplets even become forgivable as Jake delivers it in his eerily pitch perfect Joey Ramone impersonation: “I leave my records on a shelf/ ‘cos I care about my health”. The equally intense punk destruction of ‘Cool Out’ and ‘Shredder’ are so perfect for head thrashing that neck cramp wouldn’t even be a problem.

As you’ve guessed, ‘We Are the Champions’ is an album that shouldn’t be taken seriously. Play it loud or whilst getting trashed at a party. It’s so far from being serious that its tongue is stuck firmly in one brother’s cheek and comes out of the other’s ear. And you know what? It’s all totally gnarly, maaaaaaan!