ZapTown

The Jessica Fletchers
Less Sophistication
2005: Rainbow Quartz

Origin – Drammen, Norway
Style: Indie Pop

Less Sophistication shows that The Jessica Fletchers are comfortable in their international pop scene element by staying true to capturing the original essence of the ‘60s pop rock and roll era. However listening to this album from front to back, they run you notice that they completely run the gamut of ‘60s pop rock history from the Mersey Beat to later psychedelic pop flavors. And even though their songs remain within the idiom of pop style,  it is not always the most comfortable experience to change things so frequently. Although some don’t think it’s a bad thing as Splendid describes, “From The Turtles to The Beatles, it’s impossible to go eight bars without saying to yourself, ‘God, this sounds a lot like…;” (http://www.splendidezine.com/review.html?reviewid=112652125975727), it takes a degree of re-adjusting from the laundry list of pop contortions with each song as most of these numbers on their third release reacts best as stand alone pieces, especially their hit “Summer Holiday & Me.”

The Jessica Fletchers – Summer Holiday & Me (YouTube)

As a stand-out, this song — one of two that features Theresa Lund on vocals — is a great romp of rock and roll prowess with sunny indie pop flavor. A song like this you would think Less Sophistication is a house party sweatbox waiting to happen, much like the B-52s Cosmic Thing or fellow Norwegians fuzzbox jamsters Cato Salsa Experience. But the reality is that this is the farthest end of the spectrum of controlled pop psychedelia that you will find. What surrounds this song on the left is a brooding Zombies-esque jangle called “Get Connected,” while on the right is the flute heavy, head bopper “How Unlucky (Can You Possibly Get).” The album maintains the presence of the flute throughout the rest of the album, which was not used during the first half.

The pleasantly surprising moment is the final track. “On Our Way” is a simple pop ditty to start out but without notice, it transforms into a Herb Albert rendezvous. 

One thing is for certain, Less Sophistication has a predominate display of fa-fa-fas, clean-shaven antics, and bop-till-you drop rock style.

It’s also necessary to note that the band’s name garnered some criticism, especially as they got attention with the United States during this album. Jessica Fletcher was the character name for Angela Landsbury and the television series Murder She Wrote. Erasing Clouds spent half of their review philosophizing about the name (http://www.erasingclouds.com/wk3305tonydoug.html).

Cross-Reference: Sloan, The Lost Patrol Band, Cato Salsa Experience