Hard-Wired Other Review
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Artist
Less Than Jake
Title
Does The Lion City Still Roar?
Format/Cat
FRY362-300
Label
Cooking Vinyl
Style
ska/punk/metal
Date of review
6 June 2008
Reviewer
Anya Hastwell
Rating
6/10
Those neo-ska nu-punksters Less than Jake have worked out that if something ain't broke, then don't fix it. Not when they have a loyal fan base who have been brought up and grown up with their trademark sound, guaranteed to turn a respectable 30-something white collar worker into a drooling, irresponsible pogoing 16 year-old. And the blurb supports this view: "LTJ have decided to revisit their roots not only in spirit but also in their music. A return to form that could be called the 'traditional' Less than Jake sound." So I'm not completely misguided. It's bouncy, high power energetic American punk – but unless I was a Less than Jake fan, I'm not sure if this would appeal to me. But I could be wrong, as I so frequently am. It seems like they're trying to keep a hold on the faithful they have already, and keep them happy with churning out an album every so often, than doing anything too drastic like – gasp – changing musical direction. Heck, it's scary enough announcing "This is a new song!" than going too mad bringing in sitars, strings and a steel band. But if you want music that points the microscope on folks like single mothers, drug dealers and other common-or-garden city characters, you'll get them all here.