2 out of 5

Produced by: Sam Jayne (?)

Label: Tracks of Quality

Billed as being “in the same vein” as the original Greks, Greks II certainly presents a similarly stripped-down, half-experimental approach, but whittled to 7 tracks (versus the original’s 20+), it’s harder to balance out the rough stuff with the “worthwhile” stuff, except in how the EP does it: the first three tracks are solid, and the latter four are cutting-room floor vibe.

I mean, not exactly: we get an acoustic cover of Every Midnite Song – spelled differently than the Laughter’s Fifth version – but I just don’t know that this stripped down edition does anything for me, except remind me of how good the plugged in one is. And there’s a kind of stoner jam vibe to both HollaDaze and closer Seize Her which aren’t too far off, tonally, from the smoked out vibe of the polished Holy. …But perhaps you can hear all of the exceptions I’m making there. These are not uninteresting, or hookless, but they’re reflections / memories of other things from the LaL catalogue.

Prior to that there’s definite value, though. Opener When I Murder is mastered turn-down-the-volume higher than the rest, but it’s a total rocker, with followups LZYSLDR III and Leaf Canopy more acoustic and heartfelt (or slightly silly, as LaL could be – highlighting the heartfelt).

Inbetween these two sections is the longest track – Negative Zero – which is also the most non-starter thing, and thus perhaps pretty representative of the previous Greks’ mix of singles and fuck-off tracks. I don’t like this track, but it keeps the Grek spirit alive, and could’ve worked if stuffed into another broad mix of hits and misses.