I must confess early on to struggling with this record. I've been listening to it on and off for the best part of a month now and I'm still not sure how to sum up what I think of it.

If you took this as an album in complete isolation of the bands back catalogue, in fact to go as far as to imagine that it was the debut of a previously unknown group, the result would be that a solid, sometimes excellent, slice of pop/ska/punk had been crafted and landed in your deck. However when you count that this is the Gainsville quintets ninth album (more if you include stuff like B is for b-sides) you can't help but wonder when they're going to start singing about topics other than wanting to escape smalltown life and feeling alienated...

That aside LTJ have in the main stuck with a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" formula, if only to polish the choruses even more to try and maybe cash in on drummer Vinnie's current success with bands like The Academy Is and Panic At The Disco (on his Fuelled By Ramen imprint). "Landmines And Landslides" for example, wouldn't have been out of place on a Fall Out Boy CD.

My main criticism is that tracks like "Don't Fall Asleep On The Subway" are all too rare these days giving us a slower brass led tune and a rawer vocal by Roger (although its still about escaping small town life....ho-hum!) in fact poor old Buddy and Jr are getting less and less work on subsequent albums with more and more tracks featuring less or no brass at all, which is a crying shame in my opinion, especially given the added dimension these guys give the band, especially live.

So if you like Less Than Jake (or sort of by definition Reel Big Fish or Mighty Mighty Bosstones) you will enjoy this record, I do and I do. The main problem is that if you were looking for any form of progression from the band after the (relative) departure of "Anthem" you will be disappointed (the biggest diversion here is the faux country of ballad "Rest Of My Life") I would suggest that anyone looking for something different, but similar, pick up Adequate Sevens "Here On Earth" instead

Let Us Know Your Views On 'In With The Out Crowd'

Track List

Soundtrack Of My Life
A Still Life Franchise
Overrated (Everything Is)
Fall Apart
Independence Day
Don't Fall Asleep On The Subway
Landmines And Landslides
Rest Of My Life
Mostly Memories
Let Her Go
Hopeless Case
P.S. Shock The World

Line Up

Chris Demakes - Guitar/Vocals
Roger Manganelli - Bass/Vocals
Vinnie Fiorello - Drums
Buddy Schaub - Trombone
Peter  Wasilewski - Saxophone