Thursday 23 October 2008

Review - Less Than Jake - Abandon Ship (Single)

Less Than Jake - Abandon Ship (Single)

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6 out of 10

Far from drawing a line under their last nine LPs, this summer's re-releases have taken Less Than Jake back to beginning - with a record more akin to their early work and fittingly called 'GNV FLA' (or 'Gainesville, Florida' for those of us not familiar with zip codes and stuff), after their hometown.

The guitars are crunchy, the brass bounces and blares as resoundingly as it has done for the last 16 years and Chris Demakes and Roger Manganelli's vocals are as gravely and nasal as ever, but things are more controlled than before and Vinnie Fiorello's lyrics find LTJ in a thoughtful mood - reflecting on their hometown and the people in it who are finding life a struggle despite $700bn bailouts ("I'm treading water with weight around my neck").

Sometimes you can even feel the beginnings of goosebumps, but despite LTJ maturing 'Abandon Ship' sounds a bit like Busted.

Listen: www.myspace.com/lessthanjake

Tracklist:
1. Abandon Ship

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