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Jake Laufer: A Viking Named ¡Caliente!

With all pop songs coming from the same cookie cutter nowadays, it is especially refreshing to discover an album from a singer-songwriter who has drawn on countless, diverse influences.  Jake Laufers latest album, A Viking Named ¡Caliente!, is a melting pot of musical genres with consistently strong songwriting throughout. 

But not too much else on ¡Caliente! is consistent!  The disc starts off with Laufers quick acoustic guitar and the smooth, jazzy sounds of Efra Zagara on the saxophone.  Laufers punk-rock voice then booms out philosophical lyrics in this impressive (and much more jazz than punk) opener entitled Walkabout.  Track two, although a bit more do-so-do-ish, carries on this unique sound nicely, and rightfully foreshadows that the philosophical lyrics are about to be ditched for the sillybut not until track four.  Track three, The Only Way, is a thoughtful soft-rock ballad that would be in good company on a mix-tape with the likes of Edwin McCain.  It is only here where Laufer is able to ditch the punk rock voice in favor of a soft-rock falsetto.  Alas, the silly lyrics return on the next two songs entitled Soy Muy Caliente! Disco and Paste Eating Johnny Versus Mrs. Edison.  In the former, a funky tune in which the guitar riffs remind me of the Super Mario Brothers jingle song, Laufer pokes fun at a plumber by day, stud by night, a raging flame of disco who cooks his food with Crisco.  In the latter, the opening chords of a somber, folksy tune made me wonder whether the philosophical lyrics were about to return, but rather, Laufer recalls the days of having a crush on Mrs. Edison, who appears to be a childhood friends hot mother.

The rest of the disc carries on in the same manner, alternating from barmy lyrics and somber songs to jaunty tunes and thought-provoking stories.  The instrumentation proves to be constantly surprising as well, with congas, keyboards, and trumpets showing up both where expected and of course where not expected.  Added to all this are the sound effects Laufer sometimes employs from clapping hands after referring to the clap to a cats meow after he sings of sleeping with his cat.  The real kicker is the hidden track at the discs conclusion where Laufers vocals are completely indecipherable; it sounds as if they may have even been recorded and played in reverse.

When I first listened to this disc, my CD player was set on repeat.  As that last hidden track led back in to the opening track, I realized that the tie that binds this collection of songs together is Laufers distinctive voice.  Other than that, each track is a complete surprise, be it country-ish, disco, bluegrassy, funky, folksy, and everything in between.  As a cohesive collection of songs, A Viking Named ¡Caliente! fails, but it seems unclear whether the disc was even meant to succeed as a sum of all its parts.  Still, individually, each song is a success, be it in getting the listener to laugh, dance, or grow pensive, whatever the case may be for that particular song.  

LEFT OFF THE DIAL's Jake Laufer page

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