letlive. hold the title of being the best band that I personally have ever seen live. Ever. And trust me, there’s a lot of bands I’ve seen live. We’re talking in the thousands, here. This title is one which many bands spend decades trying to achieve, but letlive. just have this addictive presence; when you’re watching letlive. it’s like you physically cannot draw your eyes from them. Part of this is down to vocalist Jason Aalon Butler‘s insane stage acrobatics, part of it is down to his outstanding charisma and emotion, part of it is down to the tight-knit, note perfect band surrounding him, but the majority of it is due to the material they play from their third album, Fake History.
Fake History exploded seemingly from nowhere, and interestingly it was the re-release which proved to be such a hit around the world. Originally released on Tragic Hero Records in April of 2010, it was re-released by Epitaph in 2011 and it was then that letlive. fever swept the globe. Jason Butler has described the definition of Fake History as being “the highly publicized alternate reality” and from this one short sentence the listener is already descending into the depth of letlive. as a band, the way in which each member sees the world through a different lense, yet the result – Fake History – is an amalgamation of these poignant theories with a message and a theme so strong that often it easily goes unrecognised.
letlive.’s messages are varied but never waivering in their strength and importance. There are songs about Jason Butler‘s father (you’ll know the one, especially if you’ve witnessed it live), there are songs about the arrogance of the human race, how we are all falling victim to various degrees and forms of fanaticism, there are songs which utilise sexual language as an analogy for other, more seriously taken behaviours and what Butler refers to as ‘Lemming mentality’ – essentially the human race becoming one large pack, keen to follow the crowd no matter what those actions may be. Deep, huh?
Despite this album being an amalgamation of each band member’s morals and beliefs, as well as their views on the world, there seems to feature a fair amount of Jason’s family life, indiscretions and personal happenings thrown into certain tracks (Muther being the immediate one that springs to mind). This is interesting, usually bands in the public eye don’t tend to throw their private affairs into the open quite that readily. Anyone that’s met Mr. Butler will also know that he’s quite prudish, much more tame, and generally a very lovely bloke in person. Quite different to this bitter, angry and occasionally quite nasty person he represents himself as in his lyrics.
H.Ledger is a track which speaks volumes about the success that letlive. have received and what this will mean to them. The track pays homage to bands who do not receive the appreciation or success they deserve until they are no longer a functioning entity. (Similarly, at the time of writing this track, Heath Ledger had just died mid-filming the biggest film of his career, ironic…)
Having said that the band possess strong morals and opinions, Fake History is not a forceful account of their theories. It is not an attempt to bring the listener around to their point of view, nor is it a shove-my-values-down-your-throat attempt. It is merely asking the listener to re-evaluate their beliefs – to take stock of the state of the planet and to form their own opinions about it. Do not succumb to ‘Lemming Mentality.’ Listen to Fake History – it’ll open your mind, your eyes and your heart. If you don’t fall in love with this album, we’ll be left simply astounded.
www.myspace.com/letlive
