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| Less Than JakeGNV FLA2008 Sleep It Off 
 Review by: veggieska See others by this writer Band's site (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on June 27th 2008
I don’t trust people. When one of my favorite bands goes (back) to a major label to put out (mostly) trash for several years, and then blames the (weak) output on the label, whose side am I supposed to take? It’s nice to stand by your band and accuse the label of steering and using scare tactics (“No ska on the next record, or we’ll pay Fat Mike to cut your saxophonist’s hair!”), but whose decision was it in the first place to sign with Sire/Warner?
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What more could be asked of this band at this poin in their careerst? Considering they'll churn out a few more in the future, I'd put down a marker that this is 'a return to form' and future albums should be judged on that. I've got real mixed feelings about this album. After a few more listens, plus just seeing them live again, I'm gonna go ahead and raise my score from a 7 to an 8. I dont' get the hate towards "anthem" i found this record a little abrasive at first. almost felt like the first song, while good, was a poor choice to start off with. felt more like a middle-of-the-album song. still a good record however Definitely one of my favorite bands, live and studio. I would highly recommend this to any LTJ fan whether an old school "Losing Streak" fan or newer more mainstream "Anthem" guy. It's all around good and shouldn't receive the disappointment that "In With the Out Crowd" got from most people (but not me). Score's for the 45 included in the vinyl that has Settling Son (demo) I didn't forget "suburban myth", I just referred to it as "track 3" cuz I couldn't freakin remember the name of it at the time, but thanks for refreshing my memory. paulrulzdood: You forgot "Suburban Myth." one perception about LTJ that I've always found interesting is that most people think Anthem was somehow their first album that lacked ska. have you heard borders and boundaries? the thing about Borders and Boundaries that I think a lot of people over look is that while it is loaded with horns, it actually lacks ska for the most part, I'm pretty sure it has less actual ska on it than any of their albums other than "out crowd", which only had 3 ska songs on it. Yeah, it fucking owns. Yeah, agree with a lot of other people. This is a good album for a LTJ fan, which I am. It's what I expected from them at this point in their career. It's nothing new, but it's good. certainly a return to form and improvement from the slick/glossy radio-friendly "in with the out crowd" but I think its foolish to think they'll ever top "rockview" or "losing streak" at this point, but as the reviewer states, this is the best album we can expect from LTJ 15 years deep into their career. Kudos on this great review. anyone catch the spring heeled jack horn part in "golden age of my negative ways" at about 1:09 What's the big problem with a fade-out ending? Summon Monsters is a great song you forgot losers kings and things we dont understand i like it. definately a good return from IWTOC. the horn lines havent quite been what they used to be though...pete anna or some other influence affection that maybe? anyway: i dont hear it. RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE! Ska old-school hello rockview punk rock warner bros. warped tour pez pez pez overrated anthem sellouts rehasher vinnie boom boom boom alright RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE! Pretty decent.. definitely worth listening to if you're a fan. The score is for the album, not the review. This might be the record of the year so far for me, but we'll see what happens at the end of December. Welcome back! the whole fade out thing is pretty dumb. but, it is not that bad. not for this record anyway. Haven't heard this album yet, aside from a handul of songs at the show the other night, but I love doing this... They finally put out a good ska punk record and you still bitch about how you want a different line up. They willl never win. The fade out being unforgiveable and only for radio ready rock bands is a little ridiculous, but otherwise good review. I think GNV FLA suffered from it being released entirely by the band. There was no one around to point out the complete lack of original ideas. For the most part, there is nothing on this record that the band hasn't done before, and done much better. I thought long and hard about what to say about this album, but basically it's really good. maybe now that the album is out, i'll get to stop having to see news about this shit that should have ended, umm... 12 years ago. Sweet Album, Sweet Band, Sweet Dudes, Sweet back catalogue i like it, but lets see another record from Rehasher Roger... I like those albums, and would much rather have them than a catalog of 10 albums that sound exactly the same. Definitely a solid album. Nothing spectacular, but a lot of really catchy melodies, some good energy, and cool horn parts. It's not bad but In With The Out Crowd wasn't to bad either. No B Is For B Sides though. Yes, the best record of the year so far! album of the summer...fuck everything else No real surprises in this album, yet I still like it. "Definitely a return to form and a lesson why big labels are bad." I'm sorry, but the record is slow, boring, and predictable. Vinnie needs to become inspired to write something beyond his usual lyrics about failing, trying to get out of town, standing on street corners, walking on sidewalks, blah.... He may also be the least talented drummer in this successful of a band. Took them long enough. Almost 10 years without a solid LTJ album was killing me. Great record. To those that think LTJ had gone away, they're most certainly Back. Good comeback. Perhaps I would've like this more if it had followed "Hello Rockview" but the last three albums have killed my interest. Really strong effort and a nice bounce back from Out Crowd. This album to me takes all the good aspects of the polish Crowd brought to the table and combines with the punchy ska that has been LTJ's bread and butter for the past dozen years. Its a good cd This is a great album. After the hit-and-miss Anthem and the miss-and-miss IWTOC, I had all but written them off. Thankfully, I have to eat my words, because they really came through this time. Good Record. Fucking love this record. The flow is incredible. The way the first two tracks lead into each other and especially the the way the 3 three tracks function as one epic finale is awesome. Best flowing LTJ album IMO. I'd rank this as 3rd best behind LS and HR (obviously). The only songs I really don't care for are "Abandon Ship" and "Settling Son" (the latter is actually kind of growing on me). "The Space They Can't Touch" is catchy enough to make up for the both of them though. Man, I love this damn cd. So catchy, so fun, I see it as the natural progression from Anthem. My favorites are "Abandon Ship" and "City of Gainesville", and oddly enough my least favorite is "Does the Lion City Still Roar". Completely revitalized my love for LTJ. I'm liking this album more and more with each spin, but its lasting value is questionable. At any rate, if these guys broke up tomorrow, at least they'd be going out on a high note. I really wish I could like this album, but I can't. I just forgot In With The Out Crowd existed, so I don't need a "revival album". I want something new. This really isn't anything all that special, aside from simply not being shit. Reggaeton > Ska Good review, good album. Nothing stellar, but it's enough to keep an old fan still interested. |
