Greetings and Salutations from Less Than Jake is not a new album from the Florida ska punk legends featured in the title, instead it is a self-produced compilation album born out of two EP’s from 2011 and 2012. On top of that according to vocalist/bassist Roger Manganelli some of the tracks featured were written as far back as 1996.
So while LTJ fans aren’t being treated to anything new Greetings and Salutations… may be enough to tide you over until a new album is released.
The album is 12 tracks of what you’ve come to expect from LTJ, horns, vocals and solid bass lines, however, there was nothing that really stood out, nothing to separate the new stuff, from the stuff that was written sixteen odd years ago, which could be worrying if you’re expecting some sort of progression, yet it just seems that each track seamlessly bleeds into another, without making any attempt to make you stop and listen. If you’re a fan then it’s not a bad album, something to fill the gap, it’s just not a good album either.
However, there are one or two exceptions towards the end, Done and Dusted in particular stands out from the rest, though it’s hard to put a finger on why exactly, almost as if it’s jumping above the other tracks, waving it’s arms and shouting ‘Oo oo pick me’. Life Lived Out Loud is another one of these tracks, though this seems easier to pick out as it feels like a LTJ track, made up of the formula that gives this band its distinctive sound. However, being the outro track makes it feel that the party is over before it really even started.
On the whole it perhaps combining two recently released EP’s into an album wasn’t the best move, considering it’s been almost five years since GNV FLA was released.
