The shakedown: In 1997, a five-piece post-punk rock outfit based out of Brooklyn released ten songs on an album titled 3/5. The album title is more relevant to the band today then it was when they first released it. Back then the band had five out of five of the original line-up. Today, only three out of the five members are still a part of Les Savy Fav. Coincidence? I think so.
The shakeup: The reissuing of this album is definitely necessary because it is out of print and it is a truly fine record. However, it is only worth purchasing again if you buy the vinyl version, simply because of the packaging, which comes with three shower caps to guard the record. The CD version just comes with the disc, and photos of what you could have had if you had ordered the vinyl. Seriously, it is a pretty neat concept that the actual record only contains the original tracklisting. No demos, no b-sides, no double-disc edition, just the original ten songs. However, this concept wears off really fast after you've heard the album all the way through once. You realize that there's just nothing new Les Savy Fav has to offer you, and it is kind of a letdown. If you haven't heard this record, the next paragraph is for you!
The actual record: Somewhat solid, and all of the songs have their merit for different reasons. But by the time you reach the mid-way point, "Cassolette," you hear the first 30 seconds absolutely rip you in half, and then the song dwindles into nothingness and has nothing special to offer. After that, and you realize that Les Savy Fav's songs are good and have neat hooks every hither and thither, but they have a hard time keeping each song 100% interesting from the first second to the last. The only exceptions to this statement would be, ironically, the only slow song on the album, "Je T'aime," and the surgeon's delight "Cut it Out". If you haven't heard 3/5 yet, I recommend you pick it up. If you have... don't bother.
