Customer Reviews

Gnv Fla

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Remember the first time you heard 'Borders and Boundries'? If you're like me, all the greatness of that album didnt really sink in on the first listen.. I came to love 'Borders' over time. This album works in exactly the same way - it is not as over-the-top-catchy as 'In with the Out Crowd' which is probably why the first listen doesnt pack all the punch.

What we have here is a welcome return-to-form from Less Than Jake with a new collection of fresh and enjoyable songs that sound like they could have appeared on earlier LTJ albums (particularly 'Borders and Bounderies'). The band have included way more horns throughout GNV FLA than on the last album, bringing the true LTJ sound back. Youre going to love it!

It doesnt earn the 5 star rating for me however, as it doesn't quite meet 'hello rockview' standards... but is that even possible?

Less Than Jake, is one of my (3) favorite bands of ALL times, (Rancid & Goldfinger)...

Proud of the boys for "ditching" the idea of NOT putting horns in every song just because they have them. Yes, one of the main reasons we listen to LTJ is because they have horns. Its their staple sound.
...and they figured that out. There are horns all over the new CD.

After all, when you choose to listen to an AC/DC tune, you are not expecting a ballad and soft vocals... its AC/DC and you know it.

By the way, I went to the LTJ show last night at the H.O.B. in New Orleans... they were at the top of there game !!! Fantastic show, sounded great, and as always, LTJ played only (3) songs from the new CD and played tons of old tunes. They played for 1-1/2 hours and did a (3) song encore... (Gainsville Rock City, Dope Man and Plastic Cup Politics) ...outstanding show!!!

Back to the new CD;
With "Hello Rockview" and "Borders and Boundaries" being their two best CD's to date, (I would rate them as 5 stars) GNV FLA gets close but falls a bit short (just a taste under 4 stars.) To me it sounds like the latter (2) CD's I mentioned, but a bit more mature than those two CD's (musically).
The lyrics, however, are like novels. Way too many words in each song, to crowded with lyrics, they need to let their tunes breath a bit.

GNV FLA lacks vocal hooks...

I have been listening to the CD since its release (and digging it) and found only 2 or maybe 3 vocal hooks on the whole CD. Hell, when I want to sing along with one of the songs, I get the lyrics sheet out of the inside cover and each song is like reading a novel. Who wants to do that.

Anyway, that is my 1 and ONLY complaint with GNV FLA, too many lyrics and not enough vocal hooks. Well, that is technically 2 complaints.

The sound production is great, as always, the horns are back, finally, and musically, the mature LTJ sound is great! just too many lyrics.

This CD is definitely worth the buy, if you like Ska and Punk!!!
...and the show is one you DO NOT want to miss!
So, enjoy both.

Lil' Gleason

I'm loving this album. I got my preorder in the mail the other day, and I've been spinning it nonstop since. Definitely a return to form for LTJ, and no doubt WAY better than In With the Out Crowd. Personally, I think it's their best album since Hello Rockview. Time will tell where this album stands in Less Than Jake's catalog, but for now I'm just going to enjoy this fun album just in time for summer.

So the story goes that this is "the comeback CD" by this band, the so called return to form, and in some sense, it is. Since the last CD "In with the Outcrowd" we see a lot of the old Less Than Jake coming back. We have the horns-a-plenty concept back at the front line, we have Roger's insanely techy underlying basslines, and the ever so catchy ska-guitar. This will remind you more of Hello Rockview than it will Anthem or their previous release. However, I'm hesitant to call it a comeback CD because there's something that's just eating away at my conscience.

That is catchiness. I wanted to fall to me knees and scream "It's the second coming" but it's not. The songs, while they are horn driven and most certainly more ska than radio friendly pop-punk, the songs aren't as fun as they used to be. A lot of the songs take on a depressing tone, especially the songs where Chris does the singing. Noteably the song "Abandon Ship" is just downright dismal. I will give them credit for "Lion City" the quasi single, as well as a good bunch of songs like "Golden Age of my Negative Ways" and "Space they can't touch" but a lot of the songs just blend together and aren't that good. Then, when they try to be fun, like on "Conviction Notice," it becomes repetitive and corny. Sure, Less Than Jake doesn't always sing about happy things, but before, such as on Losing Streak, they managed to make a song about selling drugs into the most upbeat fun song on the CD. Here, when the subject matter is bleak, the music is bleak.

Not saying that this CD isn't fun, it does have it's moments. Instrumentally this might be Less Than Jake's best CD. We have Chris busting out some neat guitar licks, Roger's bass is astonishing like it used to be, and we have horns literally everywhere. It just seems like in and effort to re-invent themselves, the boys forgot to have fun with it. Three and a half stars for a solid effort to go back to the glory days, but we're not quite there.

Less Than Jake's "Gnv Fla" has come out with very little fanfare. No radio singles or videos this time, at least none that I have heard/seen. This is suited to an album that isn't quite as radio friendly as their last two. No song on this album is as catchy or memorable as "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out/Screws Fall Out," "The Science of Selling Yourself Short," "The Rest of My Life," or about a half dozen of the other songs on "In With the Out Crowd."

In general, most of the songs just blend together, and they don't lend themselves to singles, but that's just perfect for a concept album, and this is a concept album. The concept? Self-proclaimed underachievers from Gainesville accepting their fate, which is pretty much the concept of every Less Than Jake album, but this one is more cohesive.

1. City of Gainesville 8/10: It's an okay song, but it would've been better if it were a little longer. It leads right into...
2. The State of Florida 6/10: The chorus is kind of dumb, and it's repeated a lot. The song would have been better with some bridge lyrics.
3. Does the Lion City Still Roar? 10/10: At first I was iffy about this song, but now it might just be my favorite on the album. Aside from being really good and catchy, the album art for the song with the lion is really cool. Interesting note: I did a web search, and I think Lion City is actually in Singapore.
4. Summon Monsters 8/10: It's a catchy song that kind of does but really doesn't have a message. Curiously, the lyrics booklet says "sliver flasks." I wonder if they got the idea for the title from Yu-Gi-Oh!
5. Abandon Ship 9/10: Musically, this might be the most memorable song on the album, very good job on the horns.
6. Handshake Meet Pokerface 5/10: Less Than Jake doesn't really strike me as the motherly kind of band, and this song just isn't very good.
7. Settling Son 9/10: Father, on the other hand, gets a really fast guitar riff and some pretty good lyrics.
8. Malachi Richter's Liquor's Quicker 8/10: It's got some good old school punk lyrics, but the title is a little too cutesy and tough to say.
9. Golden Age of My Negative Ways 5/10: This song is clearly filler.
10. The Space They Can't Touch 7/10: This song sounds conspicuously familiar. I can't put my finger on it, but it's catchy.
11. Conviction Notice 6/10: Not bad, but it gets a little repetitive.
12. This One Is Going to Leave a Bruise 5/10: This is really just part of the buildup to the last song.
13. The Life of the Party Has Left the Building N/A: Not really a song, more buildup to the last track.
14. Devil in My DNA 9/10: For any other song on the album, this is a great song, but Less Than Jake specializes in spectacular closers, and this one was kind of disappointing. Same fade out technique used on "P.S. Shock the World."

All the negative aspects of this album being said, this is the punkest/skaist album Less Than Jake has released in a decade. It's like a big "What do you think now, Johnny Quest?"

Just saw these guys in July 2011 Warped Tour. They were fun, crazy, energetic, and very talented. Of the 60 bands that I heard, they made my top 5 list. Give them a listen.

I have been a fan of Less Than Jake for about 10 years or so and this just might be their best CD yet. I love the early stuff but this CD is just as good.

Listening to this album next to Pezcore, it sounds like two totally different bands, but that's not a bad thing. There's a reason why Less Than Jake put out another album. It's because they have finally found the perfect mix of ska and punk for a great album. None of the songs have that head-bang, sugar-high, beat someone up in a the pit feel anymore. Each member seems to have come to terms with their instruments perfectly, and all of the flaws in the past albums are gone leaving one flawless and entertaining album.

Although Anthem still remains my favorite album because of all of the history behind it, this album is a classic in the works. With LTJ still on tour playing these song and selling this album, GNV FLA might be the finale of their music careers, but after this album we feel like we have found a brand new great punk ska band. Grab and album and pay tribute to the band who has rocked us for the past 16 years, and will continue to rock us with this new album.


Favorite songs:
City of Gainesville
Does the Lion Still Roar?
The Space They Cant Touch

Better than the last but not quite as good as the one before. Either way, I'll take it. It seems LTJ are once more in control of their own destiny, and this CD makes me think the path they are headed down is the one the fans want.

I love this album. I bought it on the release date and have listened to it countless times since then. I have been a die hard LTJ fan for close to ten years, and I was disappointed by their last two albums. (I'm 21 thats a long time btw haha) Well this album definitely returns them to greatness.

The ska is back, and so is the HIGH energy pop-punk. This album contains some of the best horns ever on a Less Than Jake album. I mean check out Lion City the horns, along with the entire song, are just amazing. I also think Vinnie's lyrics on this album are the deepest and most intelligent ones he has written. Another reviewer said he felt the lyrics were like reading a novel, they took that as a bad thing. I highly disagree, the lyrics are deeper, more intricate, but are surely still damn catchy and sing-a-longable. Roger lays down awesome bass, as to be expected, he is one of the best out there. He also plays some sweet guitar riffs on this album as well, esp. Settling Son. (to those of you who don't know Roger records most of the guitar tracks on the album and has done so since Pezcore)

In short a GREAT album, I personally think its their best since Losing Streak. I put it even with Hello Rockview.

Best tracks

Does Lion City Still Roar?
Handshake Meets Pokerface (lyrics really hit home on this one for me)
Then the last three tracks on the album because they blend together so well. (This One is Gonna Leave a Bruise,Life of party has just left the building, and Devil in my DNA)

Weaker Tracks (none are bad just a little weaker)

Conviction Notice
Malachi Richter's Liquor' Quicker