Album Review: Jackson United – Harmony and Dissidence
Jackson United is a spinoff project for Chris Shiflett, guitarist for Foo Fighters. In short, if you like Foo Fighters, you will like this. In fact, if you like the Smithereens, if you love the Clash…you’ll like this. Jackson United’s Harmony and Dissidence is rock of the no-nonsense variety: big guitars, big drums (courtesy of one Dave Grohl) and shouted choruses. Fun stuff. There’s a ska beat in “Undertow,” and with its organ underpinning, it sounds like The Romantics meet The Attractions. If that recipe sounds appetizing, you’ll like this. If it doesn’t, well, you’ve probably wandered into the wrong website, bub.
It’s a bit sad that Harmony and Dissidence is tagged as “alternative rock,” since what it represents and serves up is rock of the most traditional sort (and that’s meant here in the best possible way). Jackson United strikes a perfect balance between grit/grime/grunge and spit-and-polish. On close listening, one finds that the multiple guitar lines are always doing something interesting, not merely bashing out the basic chords. There’s enough variety to keep things interesting, enough consistency to keep things cohesive. In short, a winner.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.